Democratic President Joe Biden had social media users cheering after he delivered a blistering one-liner to a heckler who disrupted a speech he gave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While it is not clear what the heckler was yelling about, Biden approached the situation with good humor, responding with a simple "God love ya" before event security moved to remove the man from the premises.
Biden urged the security team to back off, saying "Everyone"—this man included—"is entitled to be an idiot."
When the crowd laughed, Biden smiled and added:
"No, no. Everybody is entitled, okay?"
You can see the moment for yourself in the video below.
\u201cBiden responds to heckler: Let him go. Everyone is entitled to be an idiot\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1662401399
The moment quickly took social media by storm and inspired some funny commentary.
\u201cBiden perfectly captures my perspective of many Twitter users\u201d— Matthew Wollenweber (@Matthew Wollenweber) 1662436844
\u201cDark Brandon silences doubters with mere mockery\u201d— can (@can) 1662437970
\u201cthe look of suprise on everyones face when they realize he made a coherent good joke is so funny brandon is back\u201d— femboy never broke again (@femboy never broke again) 1662414119
\u201cThey\u2019re obviously giving him some sort of CIA super soldier drug and I don\u2019t mind but I do want some\u201d— Brendel (@Brendel) 1662418002
\u201cBiden tells the crowd to let a heckler go because "everyone's entitled to be an idiot."\n\nDark Brandon is slaying it.\n\nhttps://t.co/O1xW2ToWQN\u201d— Michael J. Stern (@Michael J. Stern) 1662407331
\u201cOff-the-cuff Biden is the best.\u201d— Liddle\u2019 Savage (@Liddle\u2019 Savage) 1662426506
\u201cWTF. When did Biden get awesome? Is this a Parent Trap situation?\u201d— Brianna Wu (@Brianna Wu) 1662431329
\u201cEvery Republican tomorrow morning is going to be like "I AM AN IDIOT AND I TAKE GREAT OFFENSE"\u201d— A.R. (Actually Republic) Moxon (@A.R. (Actually Republic) Moxon) 1662410867
\u201cI've never been more proud. The best response to MAGA, call them what they are. #DarkBrandon\u201d— Brandon Murphy (@Brandon Murphy) 1662412507
The moment has been hailed as a win for "Dark Brandon," a more congratulatory iteration of the "Let's go Brandon" meme started by conservatives, to praise President Biden.
The term "Dark Brandon" first surfaced in early 2022 and gained more engagement in liberal circles as Democrats lampooned the related Dark MAGA trend promoted by both Trump supporters and more extreme political groups.
The meme took off again in the last month, shortly after the White House announced that Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed in a drone strike.
Following the news al-Zawahiri had been killed, Dark Brandon memes like the ones below popped up, with many juxtaposing former President Donald Trump's behavior with Biden's current success.
An example of the meme in action is included below.
\u201cOur hero in the shadows\u2026 #DarkBrandon\u201d— JumboPosterInChief (@JumboPosterInChief) 1659398756
The theme of the meme is quite simple: Highlighting the Biden administration's competence in comparison to the Trump administration's incompetence.
Biden has never directly commented on the meme but has recently been lauded for more assertive behavior that is giving Democrats an edge in the coming midterm elections.
Most recently, he was praised for his plan to address student debt, which forgives $10,000 - $20,000 for individuals making less than $125,000, or couples making less than $250,000.
In particular, the White House Twitter account made headlines by trolling Republicans who've come out against the proposal, pointing out that a number of them had significantly more forgiven under a government program designed to help struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
