During Friday’s press conference, President Joe Biden inadvertently sparked a viral meme moment when he flashed a grin in response to a question regarding Donald Trump’s felony convictions. After addressing the situation in the Middle East, a reporter inquired about Trump’s assertion of political persecution against him.
“Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly,” the reporter posed. “What’s your response to that, sir?”
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Rather than verbalizing a direct answer, President Biden paused, turned towards the questioner, and offered a smile before proceeding with his departure.
The ensuing video clip swiftly transformed into the weekend’s go-to reaction gif, flooding social media platforms with its application to questions with obvious answers. Such reaction memes serve as a classic genre of internet humor, utilized to respond to various content from news updates to random social media posts and previous memes.
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The Joe Biden grin quickly found its place beyond political spheres, making its way into non-political humor accounts on Twitter.
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It’s essential to differentiate the Joe Biden grin meme from the Dark Brandon meme, which often portrays the President with an exaggerated smile and glowing eyes. Dark Brandon emerged as a fusion of the right-wing chant “let’s go Brandon” and purported anti-Biden propaganda originating from a Chinese source.
Biden’s characteristic grin has long been emblematic of his persona, particularly during his tenure as vice president under Barack Obama. Throughout his political career, Biden’s smile has been a consistent feature, whether engaging with voters during campaigns or addressing reporters’ inquiries.
The recent meme-worthy moment on May 31, 2024, merely exemplifies Biden’s penchant for flashing his trademark grin when confronted with questions about his political adversaries.
Predictably, reactions to the Joe Biden grin have been polarized along party lines. Conservatives have condemned the smile as sinister, interpreting it as evidence of Biden’s alleged manipulation of the trial against his rival.
