Biden political group releases ‘Dark Brandon’ student debt relief ad

A political advocacy group created to support President Biden’s agenda on Wednesday released an ad touting the administration’s student loan relief program.

The Building Back Together ad is targeted toward young people, especially Latinos and African Americans, with a six-figure buy.

The ad kicks off with CNBC host Shepard Smith delivering news of the White House’s “efforts to forgive student loan debt.”

Smith’s voice and image are remixed, leaving the anchor onscreen repeating the word “debt” in a robotic monotone.

From that point, the ad plays like a viral video meme.

“Biden, admin, admin, admin 10K in my pocket,” chant processed voices over a beat and graphics of Biden and the White House, ending on a still shot of the back pocket of mom jeans.

The ad, titled “pocket,” twice features “Dark Brandon,” a meme version of President Biden that plays on the right-wing anti-Biden chant, “Let’s go Brandon.”

The ad sticks to non-verbal communication, driving in the core message that most beneficiaries of the student loan relief program will save $10,000.

A clip of a separate newscast interrupts the beat, to deliver more information: “For Pell grant recipients, that goes up to $20,000,” reads a reporter over a traditional newscast graphic.

“Pell grant, pell grant, pell grant,” chant the voices over a series of memes and animations. “$20K in my pocket, $20K in my pocket.”

The ad continues on a beat, flashing Dark Brandon once more, as well as the studentaid.gov web address, where people with student debt can check their eligibility.

The ad is intended to support the rollout of studentaid.gov, which went live Monday after a beta test Friday.

“Millions of Americans making less than $125,000 a year will be able to get much-needed relief through this simple online form, which takes less than five minutes to fill out. This is a game changer for so many young Americans, who will now have more money in their pockets to start a family, open a business, or buy a house. This campaign celebrates this win for working families and thanks the president for his commitment to getting it done,” said Building Back Together Executive Director Danielle Melfi.