Biden weighs in on ‘Dark Brandon’ meme, Taylor Swift conspiracy on ‘Late Night’

The president also reminisced about his “Parks and Recreation” cameo with Amy Poehler during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

President Joe Biden made a surprise appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on Feb. 26.

Meyers was interviewing Amy Poehler when the subject turned to Biden, and they shared their memories of the time Poehler and Biden appeared together on the first episode of “Late Night” in 2014.

“We did try to get him for our 10-year anniversary show, but obviously, he’s got a bigger job now, so he was unavailable,” Meyers said.

“You couldn’t get him? Oh, I could get him,” Poehler said, and a moment later, Biden joined them on stage as the band played “Hail to the Chief.”

Biden, who rarely appears on talk shows, covered a range of topics in his interview with Meyers, addressing criticisms of his age and sharing his plans for 2024.

He also reminisced with Poehler about his “Parks and Recreation” cameo in 2012, shared his thoughts on the “Dark Brandon” meme that has been circulating online, and weighed in on conspiracy theories involving him and Taylor Swift.

What did President Joe Biden say about his ‘Parks and Rec’ cameo on ‘Late Night’?
Biden looked back fondly on his 2012 cameo appearance on “Parks and Recreation.”

He appeared as himself in the sitcom, acting bemused as he met a star-struck Leslie Knope (Poehler) at the White House.

Joe Biden and Amy Poehler on “Parks and Recreation.”
Leslie Knope (Poehler) was beside herself when she met then-Vice President Joe Biden in an episode of “Parks and Recreation.”Peacock
“You kidding me? I bragged about that for a long, long time,” Biden said of his cameo.

“Before president, this was the best gig you ever had,” Meyers joked.

“That may be the best gig I’ve had, period,” Biden answered.

Poehler also recalled what the then-vice president was like as a scene partner.

“If you remember, we did that scene together, and then you said to me, ‘How should I act?’” she recalled. “And I said, ‘Just act like, what is this lady doing here?’ And you nailed it.”

President Joe Biden reacts to ‘Dark Brandon’ meme, Taylor Swift conspiracies Biden also weighed in on the “Dark Brandon” meme that has been making the rounds on social media.

The meme, which features a picture of Biden with glowing red eyes, is a reference to the catchphrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” which in turn originated at a NASCAR race in October 2021.

At the race, a sports reporter mistakenly thought the crowd was chanting, “Let’s go, Brandon,” in support of driver Brandon Brown. However, it turns out the crowd was actually chanting, “F— Joe Biden.”

After this, the words “Let’s Go Brandon” became a code phrase for criticizing Biden.

In recent months, Biden has leaned into the “Dark Brandon” meme in an apparent attempt to subvert it, with the official campaign store for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris selling mugs, T-shirts and baseball caps showing Biden with the glowing red eyes.

“Do you enjoy playing around with (it)?” Meyers asked Biden of the “Dark Brandon” meme.

“No, I resent the hell out of it,” Biden responded, and put on his signature aviator sunglasses.

Meyers also asked Biden about a conspiracy theory that has been making the rounds about him and Taylor Swift.

The host cited a recent Monmouth University poll of about 900 adults in the U.S., which found that 18% of those surveyed believe Swift is involved in a “covert government effort to help Joe Biden win the 2024 presidential election.”

More specifically, some people shared their belief that recent NFL games were rigged in the Kansas City Chiefs’ favor in order to get the team to the Super Bowl — which in turn would give Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a platform to formally endorse Biden at halftime. (This did not happen.)

Biden poked fun at this Super Bowl theory on Instagram after the Chiefs won the big game Feb. 11.

He shared an image of the “Dark Brandon” meme and wrote in the caption, “Just like we drew it up, @chiefs.”

“Can you confirm or deny that there is an active conspiracy between you and Miss Swift?” Meyers asked Biden on “Late Night.”

“Where are you getting this information? It’s classified. That’s classified information,” the president joked. “But I will tell you, she did endorse me in 2020.”

“Do you think it might come around again?” Meyers asked.

“I told you, it’s classified,” Biden said.