“Dark Brandon,” President Joe Biden‘s satirical alter-ego, is making a bold appearance on the day of the first 2024 Republican debate — not only on billboards in Milwaukee, where eight GOP candidates are set to take the stage on Wednesday evening, but in digital ads plastering the homepage of FoxNews.com.
From midnight on Wednesday until 11:59 p.m., the internet meme-turned-campaign tool is taking over Fox News’ website with pro-choice ads touting Biden’s mission to defend abortion rights, one year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
For Biden’s 2024 reelection team, the unexpected ad campaign — not only reclaiming an antagonistic character, but doing so on a conservative news site — was a no-brainer.
Rob Flaherty, deputy campaign manager for Biden’s 2024 campaign and former director of digital strategy in Biden’s White House, tells PEOPLE that Fox News’ website is prime real estate for a campaign ad since the network is hosting Wednesday’s debate. And, perhaps more importantly, “it’s a surprising place for the president to show up.”
“I think it fits both the president’s ethos of going everywhere and not writing off any voters,” Flaherty says. “It also speaks to the sort of strided, swaggy Dark Brandon personality of, ‘Yeah, we’re going to go on Fox News and talk about protecting and restoring Roe.'”
The new Dark Brandon campaign doesn’t only touch on abortion rights, though that’s the one that was selected to appear on Fox News. Three other versions of the ad will pop up on billboards in Milwaukee Wednesday, each hitting on an issue that Americans overwhelmingly support, but the Republican Party opposes.
One ad reads, “Get on board, folks. We’re lowering prescription drug costs.” Another reads, “Social Security cuts? Try me.” And the final reads, “Tax cuts for yacht owners? Good luck with that, champ.”
For those who missed it, the GOP went apeshit over this Dark Brandon twitter post. And I mean apeshit. It was beautiful. Dark Brandon lives rent-free in their addled minds.
A cup of Joe never tasted better.
Grab yours: https://t.co/4fbxCBQNPZ pic.twitter.com/s2qboyE7C1
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 3, 2023
You can get your Dark Brandon on the official campaign page, here. Personally, I’m loving the Harris/Emhoff sticker
Open thread
Rusty
The moment I saw the Dark Brandon/Biden coffee cup I ordered one. It makes me happy every time I make coffee at home. I only wish it was bigger! I love that it makes a certain segment of the right crazy, that the Biden campaign was able to take a negative and turn it into a positive is delicious.
dmsilev
All your memes are belong to us.
Jackie
I took a peek at their website and there he was!
GOOO DARK BRANDON!
Andrew Abshier
The only problem is that AOC got kicked out of the free housing in Republican minds!
Tony Jay
Dark Brandon in Roe Better Blues
Alison Rose
It will never not be funny to me that they apparently thought this would be a thing they could use to make Biden look bad. God, they’re so out of touch.
Rathskeller
I just wish I could get an official shirt that says “no more malarkey”, which always makes me smile.
rikyrah
This lady has an injured bumblebee as a pet🐝🐝🤗🤗
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8Fxa6dU/
Asparagus Aspersions
You have to find your tiny moments of joy where you can in our absolute clusterfuck of a political system, and Dark Brandon makes my heart sing.
Jackie
In other news, apparently TIFG’s concerned enough about Rudy flipping that he’s hosting a fundraiser to help with Rudy’s legal fees.
“Donald Trump will headline a $100,000 per person fundraiser to aid in the legal defense of his one-time personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, the New York Times reports.”
The link goes to extwitter and shows the fancy tacky invitation. I wonder what percentage will actually reach Rudy’s pockets? 5%? 10%?
frosty
@Rusty: We ordered our mugs a couple of weeks ago the first time I saw that ad and they haven’t arrived yet!
SiubhanDuinne
@rikyrah:
Named Eric, I presume.
Paul in KY
@Rusty: Got mine and a tee shirt too!
MattF
@Jackie: As long as TFG isn’t spending his own money, he’s for it. But who, exactly, will pay for this? Maybe some Putin-adjacent oligarch.
dmsilev
@Jackie: How much of that $100,000 per sucker will go to Rudy’s defense, and how much to TFG’s personal slush fund?
Mike in NC
@Jackie: 2% tops!
RandomMonster
My Dark Brandon coffee mug arrived the other day and I’m drinking (dark!) coffee from it right now.
zhena gogolia
@RandomMonster: I wish I still drank coffee. I have mugs tumbling out of the cupboards and don’t need any more.
catclub
@SiubhanDuinne:
beat me to it.
I love this hive employee-ee,
bisected accidentally,
one summer afternoon by me.
Brachiator
Using Dark Brandon to highlight Biden Administration policy and accomplishments is a damn smart idea.
More! More!
Baud
I approve this message.
Paul in KY
@Jackie: 5% of the net profits…
Paul in KY
@frosty: It took mine a while to get to me. They will come. Dark Brandon doesn’t disappoint.
Baud
@Jackie:
Will the fundraiser be at the Four Seasons?
Paul in KY
@zhena gogolia: Think of it as a campaign contribution!
SiubhanDuinne
@catclub:
Cyril Connolly??
;-D
Jackie
I wish the coffee mug also came in black – to really accentuate those laser eyes! And not get stained with actual dark coffee.
Miss Bianca
I may have to break down and order a Dark Brandon mug. I’d like to get a T-shirt, but wearing it around here would probably get the goobers taking potshots at me from their coal-rolling truck monstrosities.
MisterDancer
Upon reflection: The kicker is getting it covered in PEOPLE. That’s a two-fer in terms of audiences; conservatives at Fox News for the actual ad, and the audience reading about the ad in PEOPLE, who likely have little awareness of politics at this point in the campaign season.
And I’d bet anything, as well, the PEOPLE readership skews female…
Damien
This is the only mug from which I like to drink covfefe.
artem1s
I’m really surprised. He never paid him for his services when Rudy worked on the re-election campaign. Dumbass had an opportunity to claim he knew nothing about Rudy’s criminal activity around the fake electors – why else wouldn’t he have stiffed him (we all know why)? His lawyers must be going crazy – but again, if they stay out of it I guess they figure there is an outside chance they are going to get paid even if he hangs himself in the process.
Suzanne
@Jackie:
Can you imagine showing up that that dinner?! ZOMFG. Just mind blowing.
zhena gogolia
@Paul in KY: Yeah, I have to buy something. Maybe a T-shirt. I wish they had V-necks.
Geo Wilcox
My husband’s golf buddy passed away a week or so ago. A real piece of work he was, Japanese descent and never voted D due to his being incarcerated in the camps following Pearl Harbor. His own sister called him a banana, yellow on the outside and white on the inside and his son is gay. The family said in lieu of flowers to donate to a charity, so we donated to Biden’s reelection campaign. HA HA HA.
cain
@Suzanne: Trump would hold a fundraiser at the Fulton County Jail.
oatler
I hope Democrats embrace the GOP’s contemptuous “democrat” modifier and use it themselves. “Brandon’s got some new Democrat construction jobs for y’all.”
Betty Cracker
The Biden campaign is buying ad space from a propaganda outlet devoted to destroying the administration, which seems like a bad idea? But cool meme usage, and the People placement is a win!
jonas
@MisterDancer: I only encounter People in my dentist’s waiting room twice a year or so and thumb through it going “No idea who that is….no idea who that is…no idea who that is…”
Tony Jay
@artem1s:
Giuliani has been in or around the Pee-Tape Putschists for a long time. Chances are he knows where a lot of bodies are buried and the quite rational fear is that Rudy the Rat will follow his natural instincts if they don’t give him the help he needs.
He might not have something direct on Trump, but he could well have information that would put individuals lower down the totem-pole under a LOT of pressure to flip.
Kay
Michigan governor kidnapping plot trial is underway today. 3 Right wing defendants. I’m planning on following it. I saw a Michigan Militia newsletter once during Clinton’s terms – it seemed harmlessly unhinged until the Oklahoma bombing. Until they killed all those people, including bombing a day care.
Now of course they can spread this far Right terrorism much broader and faster with social media moguls like Elon Musk egging them on.
Sure Lurkalot
Kay informs us in the thread below that the Biden administration has launched a new student loan reduction plan. Nothing dark about that. Best president in my lifetime. Stands and delivers.
Kay
@Sure Lurkalot:
The NYT has the best explainer I have seen – if someone wants to give us a gift link :)
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Tony Jay: trouble is, how credible is testimony from Rudy? I mean, just listen to him, do you believe anything he says?
$100,000 per person? Who’s going to give this? Should be an interesting attendee list.
Ken
As I recall, that doesn’t end well for either party.
Jackie
@Tony Jay: Rudy has hinted he “had the goods” on TIFG since before Impeachment I. Back when he was doing drunk interviews on FAUX and had financial woes due to his nasty expensive divorce.
Tony Jay
@Mr. Bemused Senior:
He’s as credible as any other mobster-turned-snitch that was ever wrung dry of useful information in return for a plea deal. If he can give up dates, times, e-mails, text messages, etc that help nail his co-conspirators, it doesn’t matter that he’s a slimy douche, he’ll serve a purpose.
After all, aren’t we all waiting in expectation rather than hope for the whole Dash For A Deal sprint to start in earnest?
Betty Cracker
@Kay: Is this it? (<– gift link)
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Tony Jay: if anyone has “kept the receipts” I suspect it will be Mark Meadows.
cain
Woot woot! First lunar landing in a long long time – well done India!
https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/23/23842669/chandrayaan3-india-moon-mission-successful-lunar-south-pole
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
Yes. Thanks. I have people asking so I’ve been trying to figure it out. The NYT piece is wrtten for the debtor – nice work. It’s bigger than even this because there is some kind of auto enroll going on – that was the first tranche of debtors. This is #2 group.
Tony Jay
@Mr. Bemused Senior:
The race is on, and as one by one the rats start to jump it’ll very quickly turn into a dominopocalypse over there.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mr. Bemused Senior:
Despite all his money woes, Rudy flew to Atlanta in a private plane, landing not at ATL, but (for the locals) at PDK a short while ago.
Ken
@SiubhanDuinne: Was some oligarch travelling the same route in his private jet, and didn’t want to waste the empty seat?
Kristine
@Rusty: YES. I wish the mug was bigger too!
I have a pair. I thought I’d be getting A Cup of Joe mug for my 2nd donation but I received another Dark Brandon instead.
cain
@cain: also India beat out the Russians. YES!
cain
@SiubhanDuinne: Somebody probably help pay for it.
Roger Moore
@Jackie:
I doubt any will reach Rudy’s pockets. The last thing Trump wants is for any of the money to stray out of his control. Some of it may wind up with Rudy’s lawyers rather than the Trump Organization, but that will be in some way that Trump gets control over them. He absolutely does not want Rudy to get the kind of independent legal representation who might recommend he cut a deal with prosecutors to save himself.
wjca
@dmsilev:
Put another way, how much is Trump being paid to “grace the event with his presence”?
Frankensteinbeck
@Roger Moore:
This is for Georgia, right? I read that because these are racketeering charges, Trump paying for other defendants’ lawyers counts as serious evidence against him, potentially another racketeering crime.
Jackie
@SiubhanDuinne: His buddy Bernie Kerik (former NYC police commissioner) supposedly accompanied Rudy. Is Kerik rich enough to have a private jet?
frosty
@Tony Jay: “dominopoclaypse” Excellent use of language from a non-Colonial!
Kathleen
@Rathskeller: I like the Biden “C’mon, Man”!
Jackie
@Roger Moore: True. I meant Rudy’s attorneys; just didn’t articulate it well. They must have a love/hate weird relationship; I’m pretty sure both have blackmail information on each other. Neither can afford to completely alienate the other.
JPL
@Jackie: Kerik received one of trump’s pardons. I wonder how much he had to pay for that
only the best
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne:
Podunk
ETA: I knew the components would be Peachtree De Kalb.
So: DeKalb-Peachtree it is.
Jackie
TIFG never misses a chance to grift!
“Ahead of his trip to the Fulton County Jail to be booked tomorrow night, Donald Trump spent his Tuesday evening at a fundraiser for January 6th defendants held at his Bedminster golf club, NBC News reports.”
According to the link, this is TIFG’s second fundraiser for them.
lowtechcyclist
@Mr. Bemused Senior:
Should be a short attendee list. Can’t imagine that many of the big money players want to be associated with Rudy right now, let alone pay $100K for the privilege.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jackie:
Hadn’t heard that, and don’t know a thing about his bank account or other assets. But he’s another prime grifter, so probably, yeah.
Tony Jay
@frosty:
Uncle Ebeneezer dropped this link in the thread below and it occurred to me that Rudy’s close and conspiratorial relationship with the networks of Party over Country scumbags infesting your LEO community (looking at you NY FBI office and the SS) would be a really, really, really interesting area of fuckery for him to start snitching about.
SiubhanDuinne
@Elizabelle:
I occasionally used to eat at a restaurant at PDK, called the “57th Fighter Group.” Decent(ish) food though nothing memorable. The place is cluttered with all kinds of WWII memorabilia, and has big plate glass windows next to the runway so you can watch the small planes take off and land while you’re eating.
SiubhanDuinne
@JPL:
For who-knows-what reason, I had totally forgotten about that pardon.
Sigh. It’s so hard to keep track.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Jackie:
Bernie Kerik background: Wikipedia entry
Great recommendations, eh?
Elizabelle
@Mr. Bemused Senior: Wow. The company you keep.
Eddie Gallagher. Gag.
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: It looks good. If I come to visit, I want to go there.
And, if a J6 defendant or other traitor lands, we will already be armed with food and silverware to throw.
Shana
@Jackie: It could have been rented. An in-law of mine rented a private plane several years ago to bring his local family members including his elderly and somewhat infirm father to my MILs 80th birthday party. His father couldn’t have made the trip otherwise. He can afford to rent for the trip to and from and considering that there were about a dozen people on the plane may not have been too much more expensive than all those plane tickets. Especially if they were all first class.
So maybe Kerik could afford the $12K-ish that it may have cost.
Jackie
@lowtechcyclist: Saw a snarky reply re Rudy’s fundraising dinner:
“That’s not the Rudy defense fund that’s the don’t flip on Donald defense fund!” 😂
piratedan
rescued from the previous thread…..Questions we’d like to hear the GOP Debate answers to:
“Taking the position that most of you have regarding the indictments of former President Trump, which pornstar would you choose to pay off illegally via your campaign funds to sleep with you?”
sdhays
It just occurred to me that one of the great things about Dark Brandon is that it centers the discussion on Biden rather than the other guy. The other guy loves to be talked about and does everything he can to be the center of the national conversation – and the last campaign was a lot about getting rid of Trump.
This centers the discussion on reelecting Biden.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Seen on twitter.
Kellyanne “Alternate Facts” Conway: President Trump took on Hillary Clinton in all 3 debates. She looked like it was an indignity to share the stage with him.”
HRC: It was.
catclub
@Jackie: I am sure that Trump’s Letter from Fulton County Jail will rival and surpass MLK’s Letter from Birmingham jail in literary quality and profitability.
Jackie
@catclub: It was the Perfect Letter!
Villago Delenda Est
Tax yacht owner Joe Manchin into penury.
RedDirtGirl
@Jackie: The most shocking thing is there wasn’t a single typo!
Leto
@SiubhanDuinne: Official 57th Fighter Group homepage. I know Raven would really like this, but there’s just a ton of cool stuff here. Personal histories and tons of photos.
SiubhanDuinne
@Leto:
Dollars to donuts Raven already knows about it and has probably enjoyed a meal there! It’s a lot of fun. Been years since I last ate at 57th Fighter Group, but I have good memories of the handful of times I did!
ETA: That website looks interesting, thanks. I’ll forward it to my cousin, who is fascinated by anything to do with the Second WW.
Fair Economist
@Jackie:
I have recently discovered Dawn Powerwash is *really* good at removing coffee and even tea stains from mugs. As in 30 seconds and they’re gone. I think the active ingredient responsible is isopropyl alcohol so you might try that if you don’t want to buy more overpriced plastic corporate stuff.
Subsole
@cain: Oh, well, sure, if you’re only going to count scheduled intersections with the Lunar regolith… /s
Villago Delenda Est
@piratedan: Avivek Ramaswampy: “Brandi Love. Definitely.”
Subsole
@Jackie:
Yeah. It’s probably as close to honest friendship as those two walking disaster zones can come.
Low Key Swagger
Prigozhin dead. Plane crash along with 9 others.
Subsole
@Mr. Bemused Senior:
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Magi but Geraldo really has fallen a long, long way. I mean, the guy used to be a pretty damned solid reporter, way back when.
JPL
@Low Key Swagger:What
I expected the 7 story window
Subsole
@Low Key Swagger:
Huh.
How odd.
Kelly
@Fair Economist: Baking soda cleans coffee stains. May require an overnight soak.
Kay
@sdhays:
I think Trump talking hurts Republicans so I’m always glad when media chase after him. I think we know that the more he’s in the public eye the more he’s loathed by the 58/60%. Trump is horrible. He’s a nasty, mean spirited thug. People need to be reminded of that.
Low Key Swagger
Reporting is not a crash, but a shoot down in Russia. Wow. Thought he was in Africa.
JPL
@SiubhanDuinne: I took my sons there and now the youngest has taken his sons.
HumboldtBlue
Adam will surely cover this, but breaking news…
Another source
Kirk
@Fair Economist: I clear the coffee stains from my mugs/cups with a baking soda slush – baking soda with water added till it’s about the consistency of liquid soap.
Jackie
@Low Key Swagger: Reportedly shot down.
“Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a plane which crashed in Russia, killing all 10 on board.
He was believed to be on board the plane.
Earlier, a Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone reported that the jet was shot down by air defences in Tver region, north of Moscow.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66599733.amp
trollhattan
“Hundred large for a Rudy fundraiser? Steep, but I might go for a chance to pitch Donald on something I have up my sleeve.”
“We really want you there, you can sit at the president’s table.”
“Wait, will Rudy be there?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Hard pass.”
And, scene.
trollhattan
@Jackie: Aaaaaand, the “Don’t fuck with Vlad” rule remains in force.
Roger Moore
@Tony Jay:
I agree the big thing anyone who wants to cut a deal can bring is documents. I don’t trust testimony from someone like Giuliani, but his documents could be a prosecutorial gold mine, especially if they can be confirmed by finding them somewhere else.
trollhattan
@Roger Moore: Rudy loves to talk, he craves attention and he always thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. A clever interviewer can use those features to their advantage.
Villago Delenda Est
@JPL: Well, the plane had windows in it, so all we need now is confirmation that he was drinking tea at the time of the crash.
Villago Delenda Est
@Jackie: “We take no chances on another Mathias Rust embarrassment.”
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Low Key Swagger: Huh. What a surprise.
Tony Jay
@Roger Moore:
Exactly. If anyone was arrogant enough to take notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy (for protection, for leverage, for the book deal) it would be Red Amerika’s Ex-Mayor.
indycat32
@Fair Economist: Mr. Clean magic eraser removes coffee stains.
Rebel’s Dad
Remind me again how Biden is too old, feeble, and out of touch to be POTUS?
Baud
@Rebel’s Dad:
Oh, they will.
HumboldtBlue
You guys and your Dark Brandon while the people of Maui are up in arms in anger at Biden’s lack of action and attention.Wait, nope, the folks of Maui love Biden and appreciate his help and visit very much.
sdhays
@Kay: I don’t disagree, but I like that he’s not the center. He’s the awful person trying to get back to the center of everyone’s attention. The national discussion doesn’t hang on “what did Trump poop out on his Xitter knock-off today? Something happened, what did Trump say about it??!!!”
rikyrah
@Rusty: \
Drives them absolutely up a wall…..LOL
Steeplejack
@SiubhanDuinne:
Ah, PDK! (DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.) It has been years, but I used to live in Doraville and would meet a client/friend at the Downwind Restaurant and Lounge there for long lunch “meetings.” Cold beer, good pub food and a ringside view of the planes taking off and landing. Gets a solid 4.6 on Google reviews. Would recommend.
Steeplejack
@SiubhanDuinne:
I also ate there a couple of times. Fakey atmosphere. Much preferred the Downwind.