Former President Joe Biden struck an ominous tone during a speech on Thursday, warning of “dark days” as he attacked lawyers and media outlets and condemned the alleged treatment of legal immigrants, portraying the United States as teetering on the edge of collapse in what appeared to be a return to his notorious “Dark Brandon” persona.

Biden opened his speech at the National Bar Association’s annual convention in Chicago. by declaring, “Folks, in our lives and in the life of our nation, there are moments so stark that they divide all that came before of everything to follow,” framing the present as one of those pivotal times. 

He said such moments “force us to confront hard truths about ourselves, our institutions and democracy itself.” 

Biden lamented what he believed to be a broader breakdown of integrity across American institutions, saying, “We’ve seen the laws, law firms, bowing to pressure, bending to bullies, instead of staying rooted in justice and the law, including some of the largest newspapers in America.”

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Biden described immigrants legally in the country being “torn from the arms of their family, dragged away in handcuffs from the only home they’ve ever known,” and criticized “the apparent glee some of our politicians express” while witnessing such events.

“Folks, we can’t sugarcoat this. These are dark days,” Biden proclaimed. “Our future is literally on the line.”

The message mirrored Biden’s prior “Dark Brandon” speeches, including one in January 2024 where he claimed Trump was using rhetoric that echoed “language used in Nazi Germany.”

Later in the year, Biden called Trump supporters “garbage.” He also allegedly joked about drowning either President Trump or comedian Tony Hinchliffe, who had spoken at a Trump rally in October 2024. Back in 2020, Biden commented that “10 to 15 percent” of Americans are “not very good people.”

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Biden has tried to embrace the meme-inspired “Dark Brandon” image, even tweeting a photo of a “Secret Sauce” performance drink before the 2024 debate. The drink was advertised as 100 percent water and sold by his campaign, in a move meant to mock those who suggested he might be using drugs to stay alert.

His pivot to the Dark Brandon persona has previously backfired. After a September 2022 prime-time speech, where he stood flanked by uniformed Marines in red lighting and labeled “MAGA Republicans” a “threat to democracy,” the visuals sparked backlash online, including the viral #PedoHitler hashtag, and even CNN anchor Brianna Keilar criticized the use of Marines, calling it inappropriate for a political setting.