If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media, you’ve undoubtedly come across references to President Joe Biden and ice cream.
Just this week, Biden shared a photograph of himself holding an ice cream cone alongside a caption stating, “In my book, every day is National Ice Cream Day.”
The tweet was met with a flurry of responses and memes, all centered around Biden’s apparent love of the frozen treat.
“Even 9/11??” joked one user.
It also just so happened to coincide with another viral internet moment, the “ice cream so good” NPC TikTok, where a live streamer roleplaying as a non-playable character in a video game repeated the catchphrase.
Joe Biden “ice cream so good” jokes were suddenly all over the internet.
But why? Why does the internet appear so obsessed with Biden and his love of ice cream?
The history of the ‘Joe Biden ice cream’ memes
In 2013, a Tumblr blog known simply as “Joe Biden Eats Ice Cream” began posting pictures of the career politician doing exactly that. It seemed that anytime Biden went in public, a trip to an ice cream parlor was almost certain.
The phenomenon gained even more attention in 2014, when TIME published numerous photographs of then-Vice President Biden visiting an ice cream establishment in Portland, Oregon, while campaigning with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).
As Biden’s political career continued on its upward trajectory, so did the connection between him and ice cream.
The Joe Biden ice cream meme
During the 2020 presidential election season, the link between Biden and ice cream took on yet another form. This time, Biden found himself as a caricature meme—a primary political weapon used by young internet users to voice support or opposition to their preferred candidate.
The earliest known appearance of such a meme, according to KnowYourMeme, was in 2020.
The meme aimed to mock Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) loss to Biden in the race for the Democratic nomination, while playing on Biden’s out-of-touch, aloof nature.
“You didn’t even campaign in Arkansas,” the upset Sanders’ fan complains.
“Listen here, Jack,” Biden says while eating ice cream. “How do I open pdf?”
The image was later cropped to remove both the text and the crying Sanders fan. The meme has been used by both supporters and opponents of Biden.
Some memes show Biden licking his ice cream cone next to a crying Wojack version of former President Donald Trump. Others use the meme to mock Biden’s age, depicting him as clueless to the woes of everyday Americans.
During the 2020 primary, Biden’s love of ice cream flared up in FEC reports as well, when it was revealed he was spending thousands of dollars at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.
A Joe Biden scandal over ice cream?
As with all things in American politics, no mundane topic would be complete without a faux scandal. Incredibly, Biden’s love of ice cream, particularly his visits to Jeni’s, a favorite parlor of his, outraged conservatives in 2022.
Conservative media outlets and politicians were furious in late January 2022 when Biden once again continued his tradition of visiting ice cream parlors.
Conservatives argued that Biden’s short visit, and his two scoops, displayed carelessness as the world hung in the balance. Some even argued that Biden eating ice cream sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that America was weak, the president needing dessert when the nation was poised to invade Ukraine.
With the 2024 presidential election fast approaching, Biden’s ice cream meme is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
Opponents will continue to use Biden’s love of ice cream to paint him as a clueless and out-of-touch leader, while supporters will use the meme to portray Biden as enjoying the frozen treat in the face of his enemies, all the while channeling the Dark Brandon alter ego he’s been given by the internet.
