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In November 2020, one week after JOE BIDEN was declared the winner of the presidential election, called a Chinese illustrator YANG QUAN posted several cartoons on his Weibo microblogging account, depicting the president-elect as evil and seemingly all-powerful.
“The sleeping king ascends the throne, the devil rises,” reads the Chinese inscription on an illustration of Biden atop an Iron Throne-like chair composed of automatic weapons, while a hellish flame surrounds him. Yang has posted many other images in the previous 20 months – often with nationalist pro-China messages.
Those images were long forgotten…. until last week, when they went viral in the United States after Democrats co-opted them as part of a meme called “Dark Brandon.”
Images of Yang were shared by, among others, White House aides, Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), Senate Committee on Environment and Public Worksand thousands of Biden fans celebrating some of the president’s legislative goals passing Congress. An administration official returned an illustration — of Biden’s glowing yellow eyes — in the cover photo on their personal Twitter account.
Far from the portrayal Yang intended to create, it has turned into a boast, depicting Biden playing five-dimensional chess, a master of the political dark arts.
“‘Dark Brandon’ is the kind of villainous Biden we need,” Mel Magazine wrote last month.
Biden is no stranger to being a meme. During the Obama years, he was portrayed as a scruffy “Uncle Joe,” highlighting something important and obsessing over his aviators and the Corvette. As president, he has been castigated as old and weak and in over his head. The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” a euphemism for “F— Joe Biden,” became the sounding board for countless gifs and graphics.
The Dark Brandon meme was derived from this. It grew on Reddit, Twitter and TikTok in recent months — sometimes ironically as a way to poke fun at Trump’s superfans. But it took a leap in normie discourse this past weekend as the massive reconciliation package was poised to pass the Senate; Bad Biden suddenly became the all-powerful president.
“Foolish mortals, you have awakened Dark Brandon,” a TikTok video went to the tune of “Gangsta Heaven.”
“No more bourgeois malice,” went another. Several users also posted “Dark Brandon” explainer videos.
The White House bowed, posting photos of Biden with red lasers eyes – a look that has been used more often in the past by right-wing activists and cryptocurrency evangelists.
“Dark Brandon is pressing it,” the deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES wrote on Twitter.
Reddit channel “Dark Brandon” shared the White House hug.
The president’s opponents were not impressed. In fact, they thought it was all a bit reckless. Spokesman for the Republican National Committee EMMA VAUGHNcriticized the White House for posting “Chinese propaganda to celebrate the fact that they raised taxes during a recession and gave billions of dollars to electric vehicles that depend on China for parts.”
The meme represented a rare moment of Internet virality for a president that White House officials acknowledge does not draw from a large Twitter base of support.
And while the White House often repeats the mantra “Twitter isn’t real life,” online love has been welcomed in some Democratic circles after months of trying to protect an administration with approval numbers in the 30s.
“Being a Joe Biden supporter hasn’t been much fun this past year, and Dark Brandon is fun!” said a Democratic digital strategist close to the White House. “It’s a sign that the vibes are improving – this couldn’t be bubbling unless it has some real W’s to show for it.”
Even the White House staff secretary NEERA’S TEETH Joined. Responding to a tweet that read: “Lasers coming out of Joe Biden’s eyes is an official statement of administration policy.” the teeth wrote“This is an official position.”
She later tweeted, “just kidding,” which is exactly what someone would write under pressure from Dark Brandon.
With the help of Philem Kine.
INVITE US – Are you the Chinese illustrator YANG QUAN? We want to hear from you! Alex doesn’t speak Chinese, but he knows people who do. And we’ll keep you anonymous if you want. Or if you think we missed something in today’s edition, let us know and we can include it tomorrow. Email us at [email protected].
This one is from Allie. Which president invented the swivel chair?
(Answer at the end.)
MAKE A VISIT: The President and the First Lady JILL BIDEN visited flood-ravaged Kentucky on Monday to assess the damage and visit with affected families. The duo, along with Gov. ANDY BESHEAR and the first lady BRITAIN BESHEAR, also met with first responders. During a conference at an elementary school in Kentucky, Biden pledged federal aid for rebuilding, saying “I promise you we’re going to stay.”
A HOLE IN OUR BAGEL ITEMS: Last week, we reported on the former Biden Covid Car JEFF ZIENTS is an investor in Call Your Mother, the DC Jewish eatery now expanding to Colorado in spring 2023. In fact, Zients it was an investor. As the Washington Post reported, he left the company. We apologize for the error. We still love bagels.
WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WILL READ: New York Fed report showing consumer expectations for inflation came in with a big dip. White House Chief of Staff RON KLAINE retweeted a CNBC clip detailing the news, repeating: “It is [sic] biggest drop ever.”
WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE not I WANT YOU TO READ: This piece from the WSJ’s CATHERINE LUCEY This contrasts the president’s visits to Delaware with the number of media interviews he has given since taking office: “In his first 18 months in office, [Biden] traveled to Delaware 46 times and to Camp David 18 times. He played 15 rounds of golf, held 17 official press conferences and gave 20 sit-down interviews, according to the former White House correspondent for CBS News. MARK KNOLLERSwhich tracks presidential records.”
Lucey writes the figures “highlight a media strategy that has relied more on prepared remarks and brief question-and-answer sessions with reporters than on formal press conferences and interviews.”
A SERIOUS NEWS FOR STAFF: OSAREMEN AROUND is leaving the White House where she was a policy advisor for our Office of the Response to Covid-19 DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned Okolo, who was previously an alum of the Senate HELP Committee and the office of Rep. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D-Ill.), is heading to Harvard University to begin her doctorate in the history of science.
Lipman also learned that:
– VERONICA VALDEZ she is now the White House liaison to the Department of Defense. She was most recently special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs. CROSS THE LION is now deputy White House liaison to the DOD. Most recently he was special assistant to the under secretary of the Navy.
– CREAGER WEDGE he is now senior adviser to the US ambassador to Mexico. She was most recently the White House liaison to the US Agency for International Development. JENNIFER SOSA replaced her as White House liaison to USAID. She was most recently the deputy WH liaison at DoD.
– CAROLINE MCKAY, who was chief of staff to the White House Counsel and deputy associate counsel, has left the White House. McKay was integral to the establishment of the attorney’s office, where she worked on judicial nominations, including Biden’s Supreme Court pick.
– JENNIFER SOKOLER has replaced McKay as chief of staff. She is a former barrister in the High Court and appellate practice at O’Melveny and Myers. The White House has also added a deputy chief of staff position for the office, which is filled by CAROLINE SABA.
ADDITIONAL HELP OF UKRAINE: The White House announced another billion dollars in aid to Ukraine on Monday as the Russian invasion drags into its seventh month. The new aid package will include more missiles for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, ammunition and other equipment from the Department of Defense, AP LOLITA C. BALDOR AND ELLEN KNICKMEYER report.
WE DO NOT PREDICT AN INVASION: COLIN KAHLthe undersecretary of defense for policy said Monday that the Defense Department has not changed its assessment that China will not invade Taiwan in the next two years, despite Beijing’s recent moves to launch unprecedented military exercises around the island in response of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. NANCY PELOSIvisiting Taiwan last week. our LARA SELIGMAN there are more.
Biden told reporters today that he is “not worried” about retaliation from China after Pelosi’s visit. “But I’m concerned that they’re moving as much as they are. But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more than they are.” our KELLY HOPPER there are more details on this here.
A year after Afghanistan, spy agencies pivot to China (AP’s Nomaan Merchant)
Biden’s policies have not revived Scranton. But few blame him there. (WaPo’s Cleve R. Wootson Jr.)
Biden is on a list that any president would love. Is it a turning point? (NYT’s Peter Baker)
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein on MSNBC’s “The Last Word With LAWRENCE O’DONNELLtonight at 10pm EST
As an undergraduate at Stanford, ZEV KARLIN-NEUMANNspeech writer and communications advisor to the Domestic Policy Advisor, spoke at the 2010 university convocation.
He offered great advice for students, such as, “Rely on friends and family, develop your passion, engage in your environment, find and make sense of your time here. Above all, to want to learn and to learn to love.”
And he ended his speech by greeting the first-year students and getting them excited about what lies ahead: “Everyone is very friendly – the girls are quite attractive – and it’s a very good life.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON invented the modern swivel chair. According to this summary from Untold History, Jefferson had sought to improve the dark chair—which has a wooden seat and back with comb-like stripes. He added a finger and voila! The swivel chair was created.
Here’s an animated recap of how it happened from The Untold Story:
