A DAD-OF-FOUR who fooled the President into saying "Let's Go Brandon" now says it was a "joke".
Jared Schmeck, 35, tricked Biden into saying the meme phrase which is code on the right for 'f**k Joe Biden' during the NORAD Santa Tracker event also attended by first lady Jill Biden.
Schmeck, a former police officer and electric company worker from Oregon, tricked the president into saying the popular slogan that has swept the nation in recent months.
In the virtual call, Biden tells the father: "I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas."
The father responds: "Yeah, I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas as well and Let's Go Brandon."
"Let's Go Brandon, I agree," the president foolishly answered.
But after the moment went viral, Schmeck said he “meant no disrespect” and is “not a Trumper” but a “free-thinker and follower of Jesus Christ”.
While he said it was a joke, Schmeck said it was also an expression of his frustration with the president's policies, including vaccine mandates, inflation and supply chain issues.
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Schmeck told the Oregonian: “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.
“And now I am 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 like 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.”
The stunt was the first time Biden was seen reacting to the phrase since becoming famous in October.
The meme phrase began after NASCAR racer Brandon Brown's viral NBC interview following his NASCAR Xfinity Series win on October 2.
It was merely just an innocent jest to also express my God-given right to express my frustrations in a joking manner
In the video, the crowd behind Brown chants "f*** Joe Biden" however, the NBC reporter claimed the chant was, "let's go Brandon," which has since been referred to as a form of damage control.
Following the viral interview, multiple sporting events across the nation have had large crowds chanting "f*** Joe Biden" in protest of his presidency.
People have been creating different memes with the phrase "Let's go Brandon" and posting them all over social media.
The catchphrase has also been turned into merch, with items such as hoodies and flags displaying the words "Let's go Brandon" or "F**k Joe Biden".
In November, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president did not focus on it.
“I don’t think he spends much time focused on it or thinking about it,” Psaki replied when asked by an NBC reporter about the slogan during a press briefing.
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