President Joe Biden in Glasgow, Scotland.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
- Jared Schmeck said “let’s go, Brandon” in a livestreamed call Biden was having with his kids.
- The phrase is a popular conservative euphemism for “fuck Joe Biden.”
- Schmeck said it was “merely just an innocent jest to also express my God-given right to express my frustrations in a joking manner.”
The Oregon father who said “let’s go, Brandon” in a livestreamed Christmas Eve phone call with President Joe Biden and his kids has said the remarks were just a joke.
At the end of the Friday call, which was part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program, Jared Schmeck said: “Merry Christmas and let’s go, Brandon!” In response, the first lady, Jill Biden, appeared to wince, while Biden said: “Let’s go, Brandon. I agree.”
“Let’s go, Brandon” is a popular conservative euphemism for “fuck Joe Biden.”
Watch the moment here:
—Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 24, 2021
Schmeck also posted a video of him and his children on the call on Friday.
Schmeck told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Saturday that the remark was just a joke, adding: “And now I am being attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech.” He also said he had received vague but threatening calls since the livestream, the outlet reported.
“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 told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“He seems like 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.”
Schmeck also told the outlet he wasn’t aware that the call would be livestreamed, adding: “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 … I mean no disrespect to him.”
The outlet reported, without further specifying, that Schmeck had been disheartened with Biden policies like the federal vaccine mandate and global supply chain issues. Schmeck told the outlet he was not a “Trumper” but a “free-thinking American and follower of Jesus Christ.”
The phrase “let’s go, Brandon” came about in early October, when an NBC Sports reporter was interviewing the NASCAR driver Brandon Brown amid chants of “fuck Joe Biden” in the background, and the reporter referenced the less audible chant, “let’s go, Brandon,” instead.
