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Jared Schmeck, the man who wished President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden a merry Christmas and added "Let's go Brandon!" at the end of a live streamed Santa tracker call claims he meant "no disrespect" to the President despite using a derogatory phrase that's become a favorite in conservative circles.
Schmeck made national headlines for the stunt, which took place as the Bidens took calls to the North American Aerospace Defense Command Santa Tracker, which lets families watch Santa Claus travel the world on his mission to deliver presents to children every year on Christmas Eve.
You can hear the call in the video below.
Joe and Jill Biden took calls from the NORAD Tracks Santa program and a dad ended the call by saying, "Merry Christmas, and let's go Brandon."\n\n"Let's go Brandon, I agree," Biden replied.pic.twitter.com/K4q0jIB6ww— Kyle Morris (@Kyle Morris) 1640370732
Schmeck defended his actions in an interview with The Oregonian, saying he simply thinks the President "can be doing a better job":
“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."
He went on to describe himself as as “free-thinking American and follower of Jesus Christ," adding that he is being "attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech":
“I understand there is a vulgar meaning to ‘Lets go Brandon,’ but I’m not that simple minded, no matter how I feel about him. “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.”
However, Schmeck's explanation has not gone over well with the online community and he is facing heavy criticism for the stunt.
He was speaking with a child about Santa and the father acts this way? Stay classy Trumpers #LetsgoDarwinhttps://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— \u2744\ufe0f Suzy Snowflake \u2744\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a\ud83d\udc99NO DMs (@\u2744\ufe0f Suzy Snowflake \u2744\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a\ud83d\udc99NO DMs) 1640461090
This is sick. More #MAGAMORONS behaving like petulant children. When are these people going to grow up & act like ADULTS? I know 17 year olds who are more mature than the deplorable MAGA crowd. Just a bunch if whiney little babies. ALL of them. No class what so ever. Shamelesshttps://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— Equality Couple (@Equality Couple) 1640441432
Imagine doing this and not realizing you look like a massive dickhttps://twitter.com/realkylemorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— Will Hintz (@Will Hintz) 1640441703
That's sad, so demented and deranged...https://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— E=MC Hammertime (@E=MC Hammertime) 1640379582
Wow. Saw this trending but didn't think it was true. Shame on whoever that man was. Deplorable is as deplorable does. And that action was the true definition of if deplorable.https://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— Jodi Medlar (@Jodi Medlar) 1640443067
A kid Santa call in show. Nothing political about this. But I guess when your unable to accept that you got your ass handed to you by an old man, you gotta come up with something to cover your shame. Pathetichttps://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— Uche Nwaneri(The Observant Lineman)\u264e #Snydercut (@Uche Nwaneri(The Observant Lineman)\u264e #Snydercut) 1640453503
oh look the stupid joke has no powerhttps://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— Michael McElroy (@Michael McElroy) 1640541048
This shows how far we\u2019ve fallen as a society. There\u2019s absolutely no reason to say this to the sitting President during Christmastime. He handled it well, however.https://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— Multiracial Whiteness Advocate \u2744\ufe0f\ud83c\udf28 (@Multiracial Whiteness Advocate \u2744\ufe0f\ud83c\udf28) 1640384876
I honestly think there\u2019s no better representation of trump supporters than this.\n\nThe President of the United States takes time for a fun holiday tradition, wishes you a Merry Christmas, and you work in a lame high school version of \u201cFuck you\u201dhttps://twitter.com/RealKyleMorris/status/1474447834208428036\u00a0\u2026— Eli Bosnick (@Eli Bosnick) 1640455220
The "Let's go Brandon!" chant has been used by conservatives to denigrate President Biden. It began in October after an anti-Biden rap song began making the rounds, eventually rising to the top of the iTunes hip-hop chart.
The song, entitled "Let's Go Brandon," is performed by rapper Loza Alexander and went viral on TikTok.
It was inspired by the "Let's go Brandon!" meme that has taken social media by storm since NBC's Kelli Stavast interviewed NASCAR driver Brandon Brown after he came in first place at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway in early October.
The interview went viral because the crowd could be heard chanting "F*** Joe Biden" in the background, which Stavast misheard as "Let's go Brandon!"
The moment, and the use of the chant since, is widely viewed as an example of the heightened political polarization in American politics as the Biden administration continues to work on bridging the gaps in a stalled legislature in an effort to codify its social and economic agenda.