Things are not going well for the White House. In the midst of a comical push of “Bidenomics,” the president’s public approval continues to collapse in on itself, with the American mood on the economy being incredibly sour. The messaging just isn’t working, and there’s plenty of data backing that assertion up.

The latest polling shows Joe Biden at a paltry 39 percent approval rating. His overall approval average is -12. He’s one of the most unpopular politicians in the country and for good reason.

So how do you rehabilitate a deeply disliked 80-year-old man who can’t get through a public statement without deteriorating into an incoherent husk? TJ Ducklo, a senior advisor to Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign, has an idea. Behold, the rebirth of “Dark Brandon.”

(Also see: ‘Dark Brandon’ Returns in Desperate Attempt to Gloss Over Joe Biden’s Weakness)

Sequel coming in November 2024, more info here https://t.co/qaLgPUqIvc https://t.co/2AenJb0AeN pic.twitter.com/deY6IfoxT7

— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) July 20, 2023

I’m honestly shocked that TJ Ducklo, who was initially booted from the White House after threatening a reporter to not expose his own inappropriate relationship, posted that. Does he realize how that makes Biden look? It’s a grotesque image, from the saggy, wrinkled skin to the old man spots on the forehead. If Ducklo wanted to present the president as a decrypt figure that is obviously near death and unqualified to run for re-election, he picked a perfect way to do so. Somehow, I doubt that was his intention, though.

The reception to Ducklo’s resurrection wasn’t exactly glowing.

Ah yeah that's the image you want. https://t.co/oA8WeZcja7

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 20, 2023

I’ll also remind everyone that “Dark Brandon” was created by Chinese propagandists. The White House decided to appropriate those types of images as a way to present Biden as some kind of incredibly effective edge lord. No matter how hard they try, though, they will never make the president seem cool. He’s a bumbling, senile old man who routinely embarrasses himself in public settings. There is no way to improve that image because he reinforces it on a near-daily basis, and comparing him to Batman, as Ducklo is doing, is just laughable.

Besides, is presenting Biden as a dark figure with fire shooting out of his eyes really the right way to go when he’s in the midst of disowning his own granddaughter and being credibly accused of accepting bribes? You’d think his handlers would want to run as far away as possible from negative perceptions.

But this is what happens when you become too terminally online. Everyone in politics is susceptible to it, including Republicans. You start to think that social media and meme wars are real life when the percentage of voters who pay attention to that stuff is absolutely minuscule. Far be it from me to give Biden’s handlers advice, but I’d suggest they lean into the gentle grandpa thing going forward instead. Yeah, it’s a blatant lie about who the president really is, but at least it’s a smart political play.