Democracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion Joe Biden, forgotten but not gone at the DNC

‘Dark Brandon’ imagery keeps sneaking into Kamala Harris’s convention.

2 min
A portion of a floor pass for the Democratic National Convention with a circle highlighting the detail of aviator-style sunglasses commonly worn by President Joe Biden. (The Washington Post)
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At the Democratic National Convention, President Joe Biden is forgotten — but not gone.

Biden skipped town after delivering his speech on Monday night, and which technically ended Tuesday morning. But remnants of him keep popping up at the United Center in Chicago.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Biden as the party’s candidate just a few short weeks ago, organizers raced to remove all things Biden 2024 and replace them with Harris 2024. Mostly, they succeeded. The concession booths offer “Kamala Harris for President,” “Harris!” and “Kamala” T-shirts, though none that mention Tim Walz, who apparently landed on the ticket too late to be included in the merch order.

Other things couldn’t be updated so quickly. The delegates voted Monday night to approve the party’s 2024 platform, which makes repeated references to Biden’s “second term.” The platform committee approved the document before Biden withdrew his candidacy, so it was too late to make revisions.

The concession stands sell orange bucket hats for $35 featuring prints of a donkey wearing aviator sunglasses and T-shirts showing the last four Democratic presidents, from Biden to Carter, all donning the current president’s favorite Ray-Ban sunglasses. (These are selling at a $5 discount from the Harris shirts.)

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Apparently, the admission credentials were also printed before Biden dropped out of the race. Monday night’s entrance pass to the hall has, as a security feature, a transparent circle with an image of the sitting president’s favorite treat: an ice cream cone. Thursday night’s pass features a transparent circle with Biden’s Ray-Bans.

“I love my job, but I love my country more,” Biden said during his speech Monday. And to show that love, he’s left us his shades.