Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys complained in a court filing Monday about a “Dark Brandon” meme posted by President Joe Biden following Trump’s indictment.
Federal prosecutors last week charged Trump with conspiring to defraud the U.S., conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiring against rights for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
The complaint regarding the meme came after federal prosecutors sought a protective order restricting Trump from discussing case evidence in public, noting Trump appeared to issue a threat on Truth Social immediately after his hearing
Trump’s lawyers responded to the request on Monday, arguing that political opponents of his have capitalized on the indictment amid his 2024 presidential bid—and that Biden’s meme is evidence of that.
The Biden post in question is a nine-second video of the president sipping coffee out of a 2024 Dark Brandon-branded coffee mug and saying, “I like my coffee dark.”
The meme originated from opponents of his using the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” as an insult to Biden. The laser-eyed “Dark Brandon” meme refers to the president’s supposed darker alter ego and has been widely embraced by his campaign.
The meme has helped drive merchandise sales for Biden’s campaign with Brandon-themed products comprising 54% of his store’s total revenue, according to Axios.
While Biden has not publicly commented on Trump’s indictment, Trump’s lawyers argued that video—posted about five hours before Trump’s court appearance on Thursday—is a “thinly veiled reference” to the indictment.
“President Biden has likewise capitalized on the indictment, posting a thinly veiled reference to his administration’s prosecution of President Trump just hours before arraignment,” his attorneys wrote.
The former president has railed against the indictment, calling it politically motivated and “election interference.”
“HOW CAN MY CORRUPT POLITICAL OPPONENT PUT ME ON TRIAL(S) DURING A CAMPAIGN THAT I AM WINNING (BY A LOT!), BUT FORCING ME TO SPEND TIME AND MONEY AWAY FROM THE ‘CAMPAIGN TRAIL’ IN ORDER TO FIGHT BOGUS ACCUSATIONS & CHARGES?” Trump wrote on Monday. “IS THIS GOING TO BE THE FUTURE OF ELECTIONS IN AMERICA?”
