Dad Who Told Biden ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Now Pushing Big Lie

Jared Schmeck, a father who went viral for trolling President Biden with the MAGA chant “let’s go Brandon” during a call into NORAD’s “Santa Tracker” on Christmas Eve, on Monday appeared on Steve Bannon’s podcast to push the Big Lie of a “stolen” 2020 election.

“Donald Trump is my president and he should still be president right now,” Schmeck said. “The election was 100 percent stolen. So, I just want to make that clear.”

Over Christmas weekend, Schmeck made headlines when he blurted out “let’s go Brandon” at the end of a call with Biden. The origin of the slur used by Trump supporters comes from an NBC sportscaster making a curious observation during an interview with NASCAR driver Brandon Brown in October. Although spectators at the Talladega Superspeedway had actually chanted “F-ck Joe Biden” after Brown’s first Xfinity Series win, the sportscaster reported that the crowd chanted “let’s go Brandon.” It’s since been embraced by Trump fans as a kind of code to disparage Biden.

On Monday, Schmeck, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, appeared on Bannon’s podcast. Schmeck defended his “let’s go Brandon” remark by saying that it was said in a “joking manner,” but that his distaste for the President is real.

Newsletters Get TPM in your inbox, twice weekly. Subscribe The Franchise Monday evenings What you need to know about voting rights and democracy in America The Weekender Saturday mornings All the best parts of TPM, in Weekend Mode 😎 By signing up, you agree to TPM's terms of use and privacy policy Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.

“Let’s Go Brandon — and I’ve said it in other articles — I am a Christian man,” Schmeck said. “For me, it’s God first and foremost. I don’t follow any one man blindly.”

Schmeck then denied reports that he had claimed not to be a Trump supporter — he had reportedly told the Oregonian he was not a “Trumper” — before going on to push the former president’s bogus claims of election fraud.

Then, he proceeded to explain that “Let’s go Brandon” was not simply a joke — it was a lifestyle.

“‘Let’s go Brandon’ is more than ‘F Joe Biden ,’” Schmeck declared. “‘Let’s go Brandon’ encompasses the entirety of our frustration with Joe Biden, the administration, the leftist mob, the cancel culture, the mainstream media — they are the ones who made this a thing.”

Schmeck’s appearance on Bannon’s podcast is a dramatic turn from what he reportedly told The Oregonian a day after he drew widespread backlash for his rude remark to the President, who had been speaking with children about the gifts they wanted for Christmas.

According to the Oregonian, Schmeck denied that his “let’s go Brandon” parting message to the President on the call was intended to be vulgar, despite his criticisms of Biden.

“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,” Schmeck told the Oregonian. “I mean no disrespect to him,” he added.

Schmeck at the time denied being a Trump supporter but described himself to the Oregonian as “free-thinking American and follower of Jesus Christ.”

Watch Schmeck’s remarks to Bannon below, courtesy of Raw Story’s David Edwards: