UPDATE: The Oregon man who prompted President Joe Biden to agree with the vulgar “Let’s go, Brandon” cheer during the annual White House NORAD Santa-tracking phone call now claims it was a joke.
“Merry Christmas, and let’s go, Brandon!”Jared Schmeck said during the Friday call, which was enthusiastically echoed by Biden, who said, “I agree.”
The “Let’s go, Brandon” cheer has become a euphemism for a more vulgar chant frequently heard at college football games and other public gatherings. It is an expression of disapproval for the president.
“At the end of the day, I have nothing against Mr. Biden, but I am frustrated because I think he can be doing a better job,” Schmeck told the Oregonian.
“I thought it would be automated. We just waited on hold and then they answered,” he told the Oregonian. “And I thought, ‘wow, this is real.’”
“I understand there is a vulgar meaning to ‘Let’s go Brandon,’ but I’m not that simple-minded, no matter how I feel about him,” Schmeck said. “He seems likes he’s a cordial guy. There’s no animosity or anything like that. It was merely just an innocent jest to also express my God-given right to express my frustrations in a joking manner … I love him, just like I love any other brother or sister.”
Still, Schmeck said he “stood 100% behind what I did and what I said.”
He added that he has been receiving threatening phone calls in the aftermath of his prank.
EARLIER: The traditional White House telephone tracking on Santa’s Christmas Eve travels via NORAD resulted today in a bit of trolling by an unknown participant.
A father, identified only as Jared from Oregon, wished a Merry Christmas to Biden and wife Jill on the call, then added a cheerful, “Let’s go, Brandon.” The phrase has gained currency among the president’s opponents as a substitute for a more vulgar remark.
The NORAD call started normally. The father told the president his two-year-old daughter Penelope would be happy with any presents from Santa. The president urged the family’s children to go to bed by 9 PM,
That’s when things took a turn.
“Merry Christmas and ‘Let’s go, Brandon,’” the father said in his sign-off.
After a beat, Biden said, “Let’s go Brandon, I agree.” Wife Jill winced and looked a tad chagrined, but the president didn’t seem to mind.
Santa could not be reached for comment.
