U.S. President Joe Biden gave a speech last night in front of Independence Hall in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania that many liberal Americans are calling "righteous" and other conservative Americans are calling "villainous."
Overall, Biden's speech touched on many meme-worthy topics such as "Fuck Joe Biden" (aka Let's Go Brandon) chants from the crowd, Donald Trump and MAGA's influence on midterm voters and the so-called "Brandonification" of his speech's setting, in that, he looked like Dark Brandon personified with the red background behind the podium.
The speech took place on Thursday night when Biden addressed the nation during a primetime slot, attempting to warn voters that the future of democracy was at risk with the midterm elections in November inching closer.
In the weeks leading up to the speech, Biden's administration has built some momentum with liberal voters, evident in the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, the mass Student Loan Forgiveness, as well as the viral moment that followed on Twitter, identifiable as the White House PPP loans tweets.
This all set the stage for Biden's overarching message in the speech, that America's democracy was at risk due to what he deemed "MAGA forces" in the country. This notably resulted in backlash from certain Americans, with some even chanting "Fuck Joe Biden" in the audience. Biden acknowledged their chanting, saying that they were entitled to be outrageous. Additionally, former President Donald Trump responded to the speech on Truth Social.
these guys yelling "f**k Joe Biden" are kinda proving the premise of Biden's speech about unhinged and dangerous MAGAs pic.twitter.com/EMYqz3Cmfb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 2, 2022
In the aftermath of Biden's speech, memes and reactions flooded social media with major pundits on both sides of the political aisle levying their feedback or outrage.
For instance, political commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted his opinion, claiming that it was "the most demagogic, outrageous, and divisive speech I have ever seen from an American president." Steven Crowder had a similar reaction, using the same image macro of Biden with his fists raised in front of the red-lit background.
That was the most demagogic, outrageous, and divisive speech I have ever seen from an American president. Joe Biden essentially declared all those who oppose him and his agenda enemies of the republic. Truly shameful. pic.twitter.com/ZcJX2BbZlt
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 2, 2022
Joe Biden is way more divisive than Donald Trump ever was. pic.twitter.com/XdJI7qb5bp
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) September 2, 2022
Tonight, Joe Biden vilified millions of Americans in a divisive & angry speech that was detached from the reality of his political failures.
He isn’t actually interested in restoring the soul of the nation, he’s only interested pitting his fellow Americans against one another. pic.twitter.com/6YfYAKiph9— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 2, 2022
The backlash from many conservatives seemingly peaked when Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene reposted a video that compared Biden's speech to Adolf Hitler.
Many pundits aided this comparison, labeling the speech fascist and divisive, however, Greene's repost seemed to be the epitome of this particular facet.
What we all saw tonight from Biden.
I guess when President Butterbeans is frail, weak, and dementia ridden, the Hitler imagery was their attempt to make him look “tough” while he declares war on half of America as enemies of the state.
Or it’s real..
pic.twitter.com/rk9vrt7ZK5— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) September 2, 2022
You’ll never out twitter twitter, it can’t be done pic.twitter.com/ZZ79CpwZkz
— Jane Coaston (@janecoaston) September 2, 2022
The backlash also manifested around Biden's speech and setting being Dark Bradon-esque, highlighted in the "fists raised" image macro shared by Shapiro, Crowder and Ted Cruz, among many others.
However, these comparisons weren't lost on some liberal-minded people on social media, who even championed the comparison in tweets. For instance, YouTuber Natalie Wynn stated in a quote retweet, "There’s no way this lighting isn’t deliberate Brandonification."
There’s no way this lighting isn’t deliberate Brandonification https://t.co/FmFuh1GSTN
— Natalie Wynn (@ContraPoints) September 2, 2022
dark lord brandon addressing his army of 87,000 IRS agents (circa 2022) pic.twitter.com/rSpm2k5fbr
— Jason Harrison (@nominalthoughts) September 2, 2022
Incredible that this is a real photo. Solid 60% chance the words "Dark Brandon" were said while planning this pic.twitter.com/PJmZdIXORn
— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) September 2, 2022
DARK BRANDON KILLED THIS SPEECH, DAMMIT
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) September 2, 2022
The idea that "Dark Brandon" was thought of by Democrat leaders when organizing the speech's aesthetics stems from the popularization of Dark Brandon by U.S. politicians on Twitter.
But besides inviting Dark Brandon comparisons, some individuals on Twitter thought the speech was well-constructed and touched on subjects they believed were important for the American public. Alluded to by the tweets shown below, even certain non-liberal or not specifically liberal individuals and entities agreed with Biden on the basis that the "MAGA force" was harmful.
Republicans know their plan to erode and destroy our democracy is most likely to succeed if Democrats remain weak and naively cooperative. They will try to use Biden’s new rhetoric to further justify their efforts, but they do so out of desperation. https://t.co/cSwvAsDI11
— Top V 🇺🇸 🇹🇼 🇽🇰 (@VaushV) September 2, 2022
I disagree with Joe Biden on most policy issues. But I agree with every word he’s saying tonight about democracy. Every single word. Because right now, it’s not about policy issues. It’s about defending democracy. Which is why a Joe like me is on the same team as a Joe like him.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) September 2, 2022
If you’re pissed about what President Biden is saying then you’re the problem.
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) September 2, 2022
What a speech. President Biden is rising to the moment by calling out MAGA for what it is: a violent, extremist, anti-American movement.
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 2, 2022
In the end, much of the viral reaction was not necessarily conservatives vs. liberals, but rather MAGA supporters vs. detractors. The perceived divisive nature of the speech is ultimately in the eye of the beholder.
Anyone on Twitter can attempt to sway the narrative by counting on people to read their tweets and not watch the speech in question. So whether Brandon is being "dark" or "righteous" lies somewhere in the nuance of the video's entirety for every viewer.
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