Biden repeats "Let's go Brandon" insult in Santa tracker prank call

Washington DC - This year's traditional White House Christmas call-in event featured an awkward moment for President Joe Biden, who very publicly fell for a prank set up by an Oregon man.

President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden during the annual NORAD Santa Tracker call-in.
President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden during the annual NORAD Santa Tracker call-in.  © IMAGO / UPI Photo

Every year, the commander-in-chief hosts a televised phone-in during which kids can follow Santa's journey on Christmas Eve through the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) dedicated tracker.

The calls can vary from cute to uncomfortable, and Friday's contribution from a man identified as Jared from Oregon definitely falls in that second category.

His "Merry Christmas and Let’s go Brandon" seemed to go completely over Biden's head, as the president replied: "Let's go Brandon, I agree."

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If that sounds innocuous, you missed the weird journey of this phrase over the past months. Favored mostly by Trump supporters, it's a stand-in for "F**k Joe Biden" that started when NASCAR driver Brandon Brown was being interviewed after a race in October. As the crowd was hurling the insult at Biden, NBC's Kelli Stavast misheard the chant as "Let's go Brandon" – and so a kind of meme was born.

Jared was quickly cut off after his 15 second of fame, despite Biden's eagerness to continue the conversation. "Hey by the way, where are you in Oregon?" the 79-year-old asked, but the caller had already been disconnected.

It's not clear whether Biden had caught on to the prank – although if he had, his follow-up question takes on a very different dimension.

Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo

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