While noting that he “stood 100% behind what I did and what I said,” Jared Schmeck, a 35-year-old former police officer, said he has been receiving “vague but threatening” phone calls after video clips of the conversation were widely reported and shared.
“At the end of the day, I have nothing against Mr. Biden,” Schmeck told The Oregonian newspaper on Saturday. The father of four said he was just voicing his “frustrations” and meant “no disrespect” toward Biden, who he termed a “cordial guy” that “can be doing a better job.”
The phone chat occurred on Friday during the White House’s annual phone-in with the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s (NORAD) Santa tracker. It drew wider media attention after Biden responded to the mocking dig by saying “Let’s go, Brandon, I agree.”
The phrase – a euphemism for the chant ‘F**k Joe Biden’ – has become a popular form of protest and opposition for Republicans and conservative Biden critics in recent months. Besides being used on protest signs, the phrase has also found its way into some Republican congressional speeches.
“I understand there is a vulgar meaning to ‘Let’s go, Brandon,’ but I’m not that simple-minded, no matter how I feel about him,” said Schmeck, adding that he is being “attacked for utilizing my freedom of speech.”
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