Let’s Go Brandon

Wednesday

Paul du Quenoy

Biden’s wasted jaunt down in Florida

“Charlie is running against Donald Trump incarnate,” President Joe Biden strangely remarked of Democrat Charlie Crist, who is running against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump is, of course, still very much in the flesh, and is also Biden’s likely opponent in 2024. But rhetoric is hardly Brandon’s strong suit in his sunset years, so we can surmise that what he meant was there isn’t much difference between Trump and DeSantis. What Biden doesn’t seem to realize is that, for most Floridians, that’s a good thing. Biden was in South Florida this week for a three-stop tour to buck up failing Democrats. In what's becoming an increasingly red state, all state-level offices apart from agricultural commissioner are held by Republicans.

Tuesday

Ben Sixsmith

Why those ‘Dark Brandon’ memes are so revealing

There’s no way to explain the “Dark Brandon” meme without sounding insane so we might as well just embrace it. In October 2021, during an interview at the Sparks 300 NASCAR race, the crowd began to chant “Fuck Joe Biden.” The interviewer, whose subject was Brandon Brown, optimistically suggested that the crowd was chanting “Let’s go Brandon.” “Let’s go Brandon” became a cheeky means of mocking President Biden among Republicans. Even Ted Cruz could be seen with a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign, and Biden playfully acknowledged the meme when he said at the 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner, “Republicans seem to support one fella, some guy named Brandon. He's having a good year. I'm kind of happy for him.

Monday

Teresa Mull

‘Let’s go Brandon’ is a rallying cry for freedom

“Let’s go Brandon” started in the most apropos way imaginable: NASCAR driver Brandon Brown was euphorically thanking Larry’s Lemonade and other sponsors for his win at the Talladega Superspeedway when the crowd erupted into a sing-songy “F*ck Joe Biden!” chant (because, why not?). The reporter — either purposefully or by mistake, we don’t know — did what the media does best and warped reality. “You can hear the chants from the crowd — ‘Let’s go Brandon,’” the reporter said. And so launched the meme that sank a thousand bipartisanships. “Let’s go Brandon” is now commonplace code for conservatives everywhere. It’s emblazoned on T-shirts, hats, banners, and billboards, and is plastered all over the internet.

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Stephen L. Miller

The media’s ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ lunacy

“Let’s Go Brandon” emerged as a niche anti-Biden meme after a NASCAR race in Talladega earlier this year. Sports reporter Kelli Stavast, was interviewing winning driver Brandon Brown when she turned her attention to the crowd, who at the moment, were cheering some choice words for current president Joe Biden. “Fuck Joe Biden” became “Let’s go Brandon” when Stavast, on air, tried to suggest that the crowd was showing support for Brown. Stavast does not appear to be a rank partisan, and it’s a stretch to think she was purposefully covering for the president as a CNN or MSNBC reporter might have done. Nonetheless, the meme took off and embedded itself into popular culture.