Democrats were thrilled to see this new feisty attitude from the Biden administration.
“Hey, WH staff, just so you know, if you’re going to continue to drag these hypocrites with clear and hard-hitting messaging, you run a serious risk of surging enthusiasm, electoral success, and continued improvements to the lives of millions of Americans,” author Scott Lynch tweeted.
It also played into “Dark Brandon,” a new meme beloved by Democrats on social media.
“Dark Brandon has the password to the White House Twitter account,” tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top aide to President Barack Obama.
Over the past month or so, liberals have inverted conservatives’ derogatory “Let’s Go Brandon” chant to inventa type of Biden fan fiction where the oldest president in U.S. history is a badass superhero, smiting Republicans and passing legislation for the greater good.
Whether consciously or not, Biden fed the Brandon memesters during a press conference Wednesday. As he exited the room, a reporter asked him whether loan forgiveness was fair to people who’d paid their debts.
Biden paused at the door and said, “Is it fair to people who in fact do not own a multi-billion-dollar business if they see one of these guys give them all a tax break? Is that fair? What do you think?” Then he left.
The next day, Biden was in Maryland for a campaign rally. “The survival of our planet is on the ballot,” he told the crowd.
“This Dark Brandon Biden can energize the Democratic Party and rally folks for the elections. Need this bold energy to fight and actively attack MAGA Republicans and their destructive policies. If you don’t say it, people don’t hear it. More please,” tweeted writer and political pundit Wajahat Ali.
All summer, Biden’s domestic policy agenda seemed to lay in shambles with inflation going crazy. Aides fretted that he was too old. He caught COVID-19, recovered, and then tested positive again. He fell off his bike.
Then gas prices started coming down, and Congress started passing major legislation. It started with a bipartisan gun control bill, continued with a bipartisan bill boosting domestic computer chip makers, and culminated with the Inflation Reduction Act, a fulfillment of longstanding Democratic goals for more green energy and cheaper prescription drugs.
Biden had not had much involvement in writing any of the bills, but once they landed on his desk, his hands-off approach seemed more wise than feckless. Meanwhile, a right-wing Supreme Court gave states leeway to outlaw abortion, and Republicans rushed to defend former president Donald Trump for violating presidential records laws and hoarding classified documents.