Dark Brandon joins TikTok

Who knew trolling could be a campaign strategy? [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a faraway gaze of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - Voters think Biden is [too old](. - Trump would [leave NATO]( in the cold. - High taxes? [Cali billionaires]( aren’t sold. - Arizona’s [water system]( breaks the mold. “Lol hey guys” If you were one of the 16 million American workers who [called in]( “sick” today so that you could sit on your couch and eat leftover wings while you scroll through thousands of [Super Bowl memes](, please know that A) I am jealous, and B) I respect you immensely. In the span of a single football game, the world was gifted not only a [new Beyoncé album](, but also dozens of pop culture [moments]( that will forever be burned into our brains: Jesus was [a foot freak](; [Ice Spice]( [knows]( [nothing]( about [football](; [Temu’s]( marketing director may be [out of a job](; Reba brought back [boots with the fur](; Nickelodeon [broadcasters]( had [way](, [way]( [too]( [much]( [fun](; Wicked [triggered]( iPhone users, [confused]( Travis Kelce and [stunned]( Italian deli meat lovers; oh, and Taylor Swift may or may not be [a witch](. But one of the more surprising moments didn’t come in the form of an [expensive commercial]( or a [halftime]( [performance](. Instead, it was [a TikTok video]( that President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign dropped about an hour into the game, captioned “lol hey guys.” In the TikTok, a person behind the camera asks the president a series of questions, including one about a fringe conspiracy theory where Biden “deviously” plotted to “rig” the season so the Chiefs would make it to the Super Bowl. “I’d get in trouble if I told you,” Biden deadpans into the camera. Then, a one-second flash of the laser-eyed “Dark Brandon” meme pops up on the screen. Once the Chiefs secured the trophy, Biden’s team sent out a [cryptic tweet]( poking fun of the conspiracy theorists: Although the president chose to decline a [pre-Super Bowl interview]( for a second year in row, this level of trolling represents an unexpected shift in his campaign strategy. For years, the White House has attempted to [reach younger audiences]( on TikTok, but they’ve never gone so far as to [create an account]( — probably because the administration is worried they’ll look hypocritical, having [banned]( the “[national security threat](” on government devices. But as the election nears and Trump’s become the presumptive Republican nominee, Biden is considering every trick in the book, including, evidently, TikTok. Late last week, Special Counsel Robert Hur released [a report]( about the president’s mental fitness, labeling him “[an elderly man with a poor memory](.” As much as Biden attempts to [refute]( that claim, Nia-Malika Henderson [says]( (free read) three-quarters of voters hear [a ring of truth]( in Hur’s prognosis: “Biden is 81. He has memory problems. He [fractured his foot playing with his dog](and has what one Democrat called ‘an old man walk.’ Sometimes he [gets names wrong](. Sometimes he gets dates wrong. He pauses for uncomfortable stretches, seeming to search for a word or thought that’s not quite there. He has a faraway gaze that makes him look out of it.” And for those saying, “What about Trump?” only [48% of voters]( have the same concerns about Trump’s age and fitness, despite him being just three years younger than Biden. Instead of hiding from the age issue, Nia suggests Biden’s team should get out in front of it: “Democrats must accept that Biden isn’t getting any younger,” she writes. Rather than minimize the potential for gaffes, they must “embrace his age, amplify the [Dark Brandon]( theme, tout his successes and his experienced team and stop pretending that it’s a made-up issue.” Will the new TikTok account help with that? Maybe. But nobody suspects that Biden knows how to properly use the “[hahahaha again](” sound on TikTok. It’s going to take a lot more than a few choreographed Dark Brandon videos to win the votes of skeptical millennials and Gen Zers. Bonus Too-Old-For-This Reading: In an uncertain economy, companies turned to [more seasoned CEOs](. But older doesn't always mean wiser. — Beth Kowitt “Whatever the hell they want” Speaking of things that miiiight persuade people to vote for Biden: How about Trump’s [threat]( to leave NATO countries under attack by Russia in the lurch? At a campaign rally over the weekend, Trump recalled a [conversation]( he claimed he had with “the president of a big country” in Europe: Supposed European leader: “Well, sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?” Trump: “You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?” Supposed European leader: “Yes. Let’s say that happened.” Trump: “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.” In other words: Trump — a man who is notorious for [not paying his own bills]( — believes Putin and his military should “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO members that [don’t meet]( their defense spending responsibilities. Which is, uh, most of Europe: “The possibility that Trump would decline to defend a European country attacked by Russia — and might even pull the US out of NATO entirely — is the kind of seismic reality that should focus voters’ minds,” Tim O’Brien [writes]( (free read). “Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged — and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home,” a [Biden spokesman said](, responding to Trump’s statements. The former president’s dangerous remarks arrive at a precarious time. The MAGA arm of the GOP is dead-set on throwing military funding for Ukraine into the fireplace, despite the move making zero strategic sense from a national security, geopolitical or humanitarian standpoint. “It only helps Russia and makes Europe more vulnerable,” Tim writes. “Yet that’s what Republicans are allowing to happen, and it signals what the party’s stance on NATO would be should Trump become president again.” And then there’s the whole question of what might happen without NATO: “If the US allows Ukraine, Israel and/or Taiwan to be overrun by their adversaries, there will be dire consequences for Americans, too,” Niall Ferguson warns. And by “dire consequences,” Niall means something worse than another 9/11. Like, say, the US losing World War III. If you think that sounds unimaginable, [read the whole thing](. Bonus Trump Reading: A [14th Century warning]( for fans of 21st Century demagogues. — Max Hastings Telltale Charts Here’s a question for you: Would you rather live in Los Angeles or Paris? I ask because Tyler Cowen rightly [points out]( that California — whose economy is [bigger than]( that of France — has comparable tax rates. But are high taxes really causing the 1% to leave the Golden State entirely, as this [new study suggests](? “High-earning California residents seem to have reached a tipping point,” he writes. “So many of America’s new ideas, including in the cultural realm, come from California, so it is in America’s interest for the state to be as well-run as possible. Yet this latest new idea from California — very high taxes for the very wealthy — is one that ought not to spread.” Normally when you read about climate change, it’s doomer-y stuff about how we’re [pumping]( deadly [toxins]( into the atmosphere. But here’s a [surprising success story]( about Arizona from Mark Gongloff that won’t contribute to your Monday blues: “Even as its population has doubled and it has suffered through a decadeslong megadrought, the state uses less water today than it did 40 years ago,” he writes. In 1980, Arizona passed a Groundwater Management Act that required new housing to have access to 100 years’ worth of clean water. As a result, the Grand Canyon State has been able to curb its water use from 9.5 million acre-feet a year to about 7 million. Further Reading What happens if Tesla [can’t leave]( Delaware? — Matt Levine The [scandals]( rocking cancer science matter to your health. — F.D. Flam Tod’s always looked like a private company. Now [it might]( soon be. — Andrea Felsted Private equity’s [miraculous rebound]( leaves investors vulnerable to a reversal. — Chris Hughes The corn and oil lobbies should forget EVs and [focus on airlines]( instead. — David Fickling Why won’t AI firms reveal [how they prevent]( people from abusing their tools? — Parmy Olson Scotland is [teaching the UK]( about rent control and higher taxes. — Merryn Somerset Webb Canada’s expensive [new oil pipeline]( is set to put the industry back on track. — Javier Blas Investors hope [Indonesia’s election]( will keep everyone happy. — John Authers and Richard Abbey ICYMI Usher got [a marriage license](. Bill Ackman [strikes back](. [Lara Trump]( might lead the RNC. Kickers The best [alt-inis]( of New York City. The NFL tried to [erase]( Alicia Keys’s voice crack. Allegiant Stadium sold $60 [nachos]( during the game. The curious case of Rick Owens’s [inflatable boots](. Feeling creative? Try recreating [Snona Lisa]( tomorrow. Notes: Please send snow sculptures and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads](, [TikTok](, [Twitter](, [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](