ABSTRACT
This chapter present three main themes evident in the memes: framing the Barack Obama–Joe Biden relationship as a bromance, mourning the end of the Obama era, and the racism and sexism of Michelle Obama’s representations. Memes may express both the views of individual internet users and a culture’s collective sentiments—offering a glimpse into the public’s psyche. Just as advertisements invoke racially and culturally specific cues to engage target audiences, so too do memes. The portrayal of Barack Obama and Joe Biden in memes exemplifies online constructions of an interracial bromance between well-known public figures. The power dynamics signaled in Obama–Biden memes often position Obama as calm, collected, and self-assured, in contrast to the unbridled eagerness and goofiness projected onto Biden. A crucial ingredient of many Obama–Biden memes is a sentimentality that reflects a public mourning of the end of the Obama era.
