Introduction

Joe Biden's Blank Stare is a meme derived from a moment during the 2024 Presidential Debate where President Biden exhibited a confused and vacant expression.

Background

During the CNN-hosted Presidential Debate in June 2024 between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Biden's blank stare became a focal point of discussion. This absent expression, captured in both still images and video clips, quickly transitioned into various meme formats as users began to create captions and reactions based on his bewildered look.

How It Began

The meme originated on June 27, 2024, during the debate when Donald Trump criticized Biden for the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. As Trump stated, 'It was the most embarrassing day in the history of our country's life,' Biden was seen staring blankly into space with his mouth slightly open for several seconds. This moment was captured at the 8:26 mark of the debate broadcast. Following the debate, a Twitter user posted a clip of this expression, which became the foundation for subsequent meme creations.

Internet Reaction

After the initial posting, the image and video of Biden's stare rapidly gained traction on social media. On June 27, 2024, a user known as @fiImgal shared a meme captioned, 'when you get so high you start getting scared,' which quickly garnered over 15,000 reposts and 122,000 likes within a day. That same day, another user combined the clip with the lyrics from 'The Dead Flag Blues' by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, achieving over 1,000 reposts and 5,200 likes. The meme format resonated particularly well with sports fans, leading to various adaptations and further engagement on platforms like Reddit as the meme spread throughout late June 2024.