This was published 9 months ago
‘Laser eyes’ Biden trolls conspiracy theorists with Super Bowl rigging joke
By Benedict Smith
Joe Biden joked about rigging the Super Bowl, in an apparent nod to Republican conspiracy theories about Taylor Swift using the event to endorse the Democrats.
As the Kansas City Chiefs raised the NFL’s Vince Lombardi trophy on Monday (AEDT), the US president shared a photoshopped picture of himself with red lasers instead of eyes and the caption: “Just like we drew it up”.
Dark Brandon strikes again.Credit: @joebiden/X
His use of “we” has been seen as a reference to conspiracy theories on the right that the NFL season was rigged to ensure the Chiefs would win the Super Bowl so that Swift – who is dating Kansas City star Travis Kelce – could use the high-profile opportunity to back Biden.
Swift, who backed Biden’s election campaign in 2020, was in the crowd watching her boyfriend’s team beat the San Francisco 49ers in Nevada’s Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night.
The singer has become the subject of recent conspiracy theories suggesting she is a “deep state” operative who will swing the election for the Democrats.
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner, on Sunday called on her not to do so.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce kisses Taylor Swift after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers.Credit: AP
“There’s no way she could endorse crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt president in the history of our country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money,” Trump posted on Truth Social, referring to a music copyright law he passed in 2018.
“Joe Biden didn’t do anything for Taylor, and never will,” he added.
Biden also joined Tiktok on Sunday and released a clip shortly before the game in which he is asked if he was “deviously plotting to rig the season so the Chiefs would make the Super Bowl”.
“I’d get in trouble if I told you,” Biden answers, before the image of “Dark Brandon” appears on the screen.
The “Dark Brandon” meme of Biden pokes fun at right-wing conspiracy theories by portraying him as a puppet-master with supernatural powers and skewers the “Brandon” nickname used to insult him.
Biden’s decision to join TikTok is controversial given that the app, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is under review in the US over potential national security concerns.
Last year, his administration ordered government agencies to remove it from federal government-owned phones and devices.
Despite the flurry of activity on social media, Biden did not participate in the traditional pre-game presidential interview, with sources last week saying he was “relying less on formulas of the past” and would sit it out.
A campaign adviser said the interview was no longer the light-hearted media opportunity it had been 20 years ago, and that they were focusing more on social media and podcasts.
“We are being less traditional because less people get their news from traditional mediums than ever before,” they told CNN.
Instead, Biden released a pre-recorded video in which he complains about the shrinking size of the snacks he enjoys eating during the game.
“I’ve had enough of what they call shrinkflation. It’s a rip-off,” he said in the footage. “Some companies are trying to pull a fast one by shrinking the products little by little and hoping we won’t notice.”
Biden’s ‘cognitive abilities’ questioned
Avoiding the Super Bowl interview drew criticism from Democrats, who suggested Mr Biden’s team lacked confidence in him following several questions raised about his age and mental acuity.
James Carville, Bill Clinton’s lead strategist for the 1992 presidential election, said the decision showed Biden’s staff were nervous about his performance.
“It’s the biggest television audience, not even close, and you get a chance to do a 20, 25-minute interview on that day, and you don’t do it,” he said.
“That’s a kind of sign that the staff or yourself doesn’t have much confidence in you. There’s no other way to read this.”
An unnamed Democratic strategist told the Daily Mail: “He’s probably trying to avoid tough questions on Gaza and the border, but I think he’s making a mistake.”
The Telegraph, London
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