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"Let's Go Brandon" is a political slogan and Internet meme used as a euphemism for the phrase "Fuck Joe Biden" in reference to Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the United States. Chants of "Fuck Joe Biden" began during sporting events in early September 2021. On October 2, 2021, during a televised interview with the Sparks 300 race winner Brandon Brown at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast incorrectly described the chant in the background as "Let's Go Brandon", which sparked the meme. The slogan has become well known through use by Republican Party politicians and critics of Biden. The phrase quickly spread to popular culture, with rap songs using the phrase placing high on record charts. Origins Background: Anti-Biden chants In early September 2021, chants of "Fuck Joe Biden" were reported to have broken out in several college football games in the Southern United States. Later that month, the phenomenon spread to other universities, including the University of Wyoming. Similar anti-Biden chants took place during the September 2021 Ryder Cup. The Washington Examiner reported that "Fuck Joe Biden" was chanted by some attendees at a Megadeth concert in September 2021, and at an October 2021 protest in response to a vaccine mandate for educators in New York City. Initial use On October 2, 2021, racing driver Brandon Brown was being interviewed by NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, following his victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series 2021 Sparks 300 race which was shortened due to darkness. Fans were chanting "Fuck Joe Biden", and this became audible to viewers of the broadcast. On the live broadcast, while wearing a headset, reporter Stavast stated, "You can hear the chants from the crowd, 'Let's go, Brandon!'" As of December 2023, Stavast has not clarified whether she misunderstood the chant or whether she intentionally misquoted it. A reporter with the Associated Press said that the chant was "at first difficult to make out". Early spread and reactions Footage of the interview went viral, leading to the adoption of the phrase by critics of President Biden as an expression of antipathy toward him. It has also been reported as a protest against perceived liberal bias in mainstream media, based on speculation that the reporter's description of the crowd's chant was intended to conceal anti-Biden sentiment. Conservative commentators Ben Shapiro and Tomi Lahren spread the phrase via Twitter. The slogan has been printed on clothing, a billboard, and a banner flown behind a plane over a pro-Donald Trump rally in Iowa. According to The Independent, on October 19, "The anti-Biden war cry 'Let's Go Brandon' is no longer a conservative media phenomenon, it's infiltrating mainstream popular culture and is now number one and two on iTunes, knocking Adele's new single into third place." As the phrase began to increase in use, Brandon Brown found the phrase amusing and tweeted: "To all the other Brandons out there, You're welcome! Let's go us". In private, he was ambivalent about the phrase because it overshadowed his Talladega win and threatened to scare off corporate sponsors leery of controversy. He planned to ignore the phrase, but later worried that his silence was perceived as a tacit endorsement of the sentiment. In October 2021, Brown's Brandonbilt Motorsports team was struggling to acquire sponsorship, as companies were hesitant to support him due to his indirect association with the chant and its political undertones. In December 2021, Brown, who is a Republican, said he had remained quiet during its proliferation because he had "zero desire to be involved in politics," before expressing his wish for it to be used in a positive context instead. Brown took a more mixed stance in an op-ed for Newsweek, in which he said he was "not going to endorse anyone" or be silent about issues important to him. On November 5, 2021, NASCAR president Steve Phelps denounced any implied association with the slogan, saying that the organization does not want to be associated with politics on either the left or the right. Usage Analysis Linguist John McWhorter analyzed the linguistic attributes of the chant in The Atlantic, likening the use of "Brandon" to a hlonipha – a substitution of a forbidden word. He wrote that the anti-Biden euphemism has a similar tone to the word SNAFU, which stands for "Situation Normal – All Fucked Up", or to the word "cuckservatives" (a portmanteau of "cuckold" and "conservatives") which is used by some nationalists or paleoconservatives to describe neoconservatives perceived as being in fact liberals. McWhorter described the Let's Go Brandon phenomenon as "simply fascinating", and a "wild, woolly kink in the intersection of language, politics, wit, and creativity." On November 20, 2021, the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said that the chant "reveals a moral bankruptcy of those who chant it even in church". In a November 23, 2021, opinion piece for The Washington Post, Marc Thiessen, a former chief speechwriter for president George W. Bush, commented that the chant was tame compared to what has been said about other presidents. Initially, Thiessen was not a fan of the chant, but concluded his comments with, "it is a perfectly harmless and humorous way for Americans to express their frustration at a flailing – and failing – presidency." Politics Republican politicians have used the phrase publicly. On October 21, 2021, Republican congressman Bill Posey concluded remarks on the House floor with "Let's go, Brandon". Texas Governor Greg Abbott used the phrase in an October 22 tweet. He attributed the popularity of the phrase to frustration with Biden's "disastrous policies", including his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the southern border. The following week, Republican representative Jeff Duncan wore a face mask with the phrase printed on it on the House floor. Senator Ted Cruz posed with a "Let's Go Brandon" sign that was hung in Houston at the 2021 World Series. Later in 2021, a rapidly increasing number of national Republican politicians explicitly supported or referred to the phrase. On November 12, 2021, when asked about Biden's views regarding the phrase, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded, "I don't think he spends much time focused on it or thinking about it." While President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were taking phone calls for NORAD's Santa tracker hotline on December 24, 2021, a caller ended his chat by saying, "Merry Christmas and let's go Brandon," to which President Biden smiled and responded, "Let's go Brandon, I agree." At the 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner, Biden acknowledged the phrase by joking, "Republicans seem to support one fella, some guy named Brandon. He's having a good year, I'm kind of happy for him." In April 2022, Colorado state representative Dave Williams ran for the House.... Discover the Joe Phrases popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Joe Phrases books.