(NewsNation) — The Biden campaign has been leaning into a so-called “Dark Brandon” meme and used it this week in the lead-up to the GOP primary debate in an ad blitz on the Fox News website.
Dark Brandon is an internet character created by Biden’s White House, seizing on the “Let’s Go Brandon” chant that has been widely used by conservatives and critics of the president as a pejorative stemming from a viral internet video in 2021.
The campaign bought advertisements that ran from Tuesday night to Thursday morning on FoxNews.com promoting abortion rights messaging.
“Get real, Jack. I’m bringing Roe back,” the ad read.
Ellis Henican, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and syndicated radio host, said the campaign’s use of the meme has been smart because it’s turning an insult into an asset.
“You’re taking something they’ve used against you and showing it doesn’t bother you,” Henican said Friday on “Dan Abrams Live” in a roundtable discussion.
Biden made a joke about the meme in April at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and merchandise featuring the laser-eyed Biden has been popular among his supporters.
“It’s like a page from the Barack Obama playbook, because whatever criticisms people had about his policies, he was a 10/10 when he was doing the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and brought out the personality, made fun of himself,” NewsNation legal analyst Jesse Weber said.
A portion of the discussion can be seen in the video player above.
The Hill contributed to this report.