This past September, sportscaster Kelli Stavast was covering a Nascar race when members of the crowd began chanting "F**k Joe Biden!", which Stavast mistakenly heard and reported as "Let's go, Brandon"—what she believed was a congratulatory chant for driver Brandon Brown, who'd just won his first Talladega Superspeedway race.
The right soon began mocking her and the use of "Let's go, Brandon" skyrocketed among Trump supporters as a thinly-veiled expression of their disdain for the Biden administration.
The expression has even become popular among members of Congress. Far-right Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado, in a nod to AOC's "Tax the Rich" Met gala look, put the sentiment on a dress. Her colleague in the House, prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, hung a "Let's go Brandon" sign outside of her office. Republican Congressman Bill Posey of Florida even said the phrase on the House floor.
And on Christmas Eve, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden fielded calls on a livestream of the NORAD Santa Tracker. Among the callers was Jared Schmeck and his children.
After a pleasant conversation, Schmeck signed off the call with "Let's go, Brandon."
Caller to President Biden: “I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas as well. Merry Christmas and let’s go Brandon.”
Biden: "Let’s go Brandon, I agree." https://t.co/c2uzEDhnqO pic.twitter.com/L0jVstht46
— The Hill (@thehill) December 25, 2021
Though Schmeck later told his local paper that he wasn't a "Trumper," and that he had "nothing against Mr. Biden," he told quite a different story in an interview with far-right podcast host and former Trump official Steve Bannon.
Watch below.
Jared Schmeck tells Steve Bannon: "Donald Trump is my president and he should still be president right now. The election was 100% stolen. So, I just want to make that clear." pic.twitter.com/YbyysPAIbH
— David Edwards (@DavidEdwards) December 27, 2021
Schmeck proceeded to spew debunked election fraud fantasies and claim that former President Donald Trump was still his president.
"I am a Christian man. For me, it's God first and foremost. I don't follow any one man blindly. Some of the media's run with that and said I don't support Donald Trump, that's absolutely false. Donald Trump is my President and he should still be President right now. The election was 100% stolen."
Schmeck's double-down surprised no one.
I 100% saw this coming. https://t.co/YYUib0CEQV
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) December 27, 2021
Well, yeah, but he fooled everyone at the New York Times for a full 24 hours so that's something I guess. https://t.co/qmuJohMVOH
— Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) December 27, 2021
I’m shocked. Shocked I tell you. https://t.co/uC6sFGkiek
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) December 27, 2021
Not so new news: #SchmuckSchmeck is a trumper who claimed he’s an “independent free thinker” then did a 180 and said the election was stolen. So much for free thinking.🤦🏻♀️ pic.twitter.com/QmeDYzUAsC
— Kathy Koers (@KathyKoers) December 27, 2021
The right's embrace of Schmeck as the latest MAGA celebrity also generated critique.
‘And why do you disapprove of Biden?”
‘the leftist mob cancel culture mainstream media border abortion Afghanistan supply chain inflation I’m a Christian the election was stolen I’m proud of myself’
Word salad city.
They make heroes of the biggest f’ng idiots on the planet. https://t.co/xilQOWzght
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) December 27, 2021
One way our society is breaking down rapidly, as Bannon intends, is by elevating human toilets like this into conservative stars. It's a machine designed to break our sense of ethics. https://t.co/7gYhdJWqB1
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) December 27, 2021
Kyle Rittenhouse has been replaced. 15 minutes of fame moves quickly. https://t.co/kBYyLQ79t1
— Mike Madrid (@madrid_mike) December 28, 2021
Conservative/MAGAs world is the only world where fame is awarded for simply being an absolutely wretched person.
No exceptional talent or skill necessary. Just be an absolutely shitty person who does something terrible in a extremely public way. Do that and you’re #MAGAFamous https://t.co/mwLdtcPVwV
— Corey🤬Reynolds (@coreyreynoldsLA) December 27, 2021
Okay, so I initially thought this guy was a dumbass who didn't anticipate the backlash he was inflicting on himself, and my wife thought it was all an audition for the right wing TV circuit. She was clearly right. https://t.co/9XZVZzuDGR
— D. "Orville" Brodbeck (@N8SRE) December 27, 2021
Some expect Schmeck to mount speaking engagements at right-wing gatherings.
@mikejstarks/Bluesky
@kidringo/Bluesky
@westieworld/Bluesky
@mztee8107/YouTube
@KarenPost-n7/YouTube
@h17636/YouTube
@drandrealove/Bluesky
@thebulwark/Bluesky