Man Who Told Biden ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ in Christmas Phone Call Says He Was Joking in ‘Innocent Jest,’ Claims He’s Been Getting Threats

The man who told President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden “Let’s go Brandon” during a Christmas phone call claims he was just joking and that he’s been receiving threats.

Speaking to The Oregonian on Saturday, the man — Jared Schmeck, from Central Point, OR — said that although he believes Biden “[could] be doing a better job,” he did not intend any “disrepect.”

“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.”

“Let’s go Brandon” has become a popular substitute among conservatives for “Fuck Joe Biden.” Its origin traces back to a chant from a crowd at a NASCAR race won by a driver named Brandon Brown. Though the crowd was chanting “Fuck Joe Biden,” a reporter for NBC Sports said on air that the chant was “Let’s go Brandon.” Since then, “Let’s go Brandon” has become a popular refrain on the right.

However, the man, Jared Schmeck, told the Oregonian that he is not a “Trumper.” He added that he’s been receiving what reporter Maxine Bernstein identified as “vague but threatening phone calls.”

“[N]ow I am being attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech,” Schmeck said.