The reelection campaign team of United States President Joe Biden is actively seeking a meme expert in their pursuit to win over Generation Z voters. The Biden for President (BFP) campaign has recently advertised a job position for a “Partner Manager” who will be responsible for initiating and overseeing the day-to-day operations of engaging with the internet’s top content and meme pages. The campaign plans to offer a salary ranging from $65,000 to $85,000 per year for this position, which is slightly higher than the average pay for digital marketers in the United States.
The job description highlights that the main role of the Biden meme master will involve managing relationships with digital media companies, podcasters, and meme pages across various social media platforms. This move is not entirely new for Biden’s team, as they previously embraced the “Dark Brandon” laser eyes meme in early 2022 to present the 81-year-old President as someone who understands internet culture.
In February, Biden was asked about the Dark Brandon meme during an interview on Seth Meyers’ Late Night show. In response, Biden expressed his dislike for the meme by saying, “I resent the hell out of it,” before putting on a pair of dark aviators. He later referenced the persona at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association in April, receiving cheers from the audience.
This effort seems to be the latest attempt by the oldest-ever U.S. president to connect with and appeal to a younger generation of voters. Many Democrats have also changed their stance on cryptocurrency after former President Donald Trump showed support for it during his 2024 presidential campaign, possibly aiming to gain more votes.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Trump is well-known for his use of memes. His mugshot from August 2023, taken after his fourth indictment at Fulton County Jail in Georgia, went viral. The Trump campaign quickly capitalized on this opportunity by selling merchandise featuring the image and launching a “MugShot” nonfungible token collection in December 2023. In early May, the Trump-themed MAGA memecoin saw a surge in value after the former president made positive comments about cryptocurrency.
Overall, memes continue to play a significant role in shaping political campaigns and engaging with voters, as demonstrated by both Biden and Trump’s efforts to utilize meme culture for their respective campaigns.