What is “Lets go Brandon?”

‘Let’s go Brandon’ is a minced political oath for ‘f**k Joe Biden’ used about pro-Trump propaganda post his defeat in the presidential elections of 2020.

Origin

In early September 2021, chants of ‘f**k Joe Biden’ resonated through various sporting events. ‘Let’s go Brandon’ came into use when Kelli Stavast, an NBC reporter, incorrectly described a chant of ‘f**k Joe Biden’ at a NASCAR race as ‘Let’s go Brandon’ during an interview of driver Brandon Brown on October 2, 2021. The phrase quickly spread through pop culture, referred to in rap songs and through use by Republican politicians and Biden critics. 

Roots in literature

The Atlanta analyzed the linguistic attributes of the slogan, comparing the use of Brandon to a Doniphan, that is, the use of a different word in place of a socially unacceptable one. 

Usage in politics 

Republican politicians have been known to use the phrase without any qualms. On October 21, Bill Posey concluded comments on the house floor with ‘Let’s go, Brandon.’ The phrase again made headlines when Texas governor Gregg Abbot used it in a tweet on October 22. The following week, Jeff Duncan, a Republican representative, wore a face mask bearing the slogan as legend on the house floor. Senator Ted Cruz was photographed with a ‘Let’s go Brandon’ sign hung in Houston at the 2021 world series. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert showed up on November 4 wearing a red dress bearing the slogan on the back for a meeting with Trump. 

Usage in music 

Soon after the chant gained momentum through the US, Loza Alexander recorded an Anti-Biden song featuring ‘Let’s go Brandon’ as the tagline. The song first gained popularity on Tik- Tok and then rose to number one on iTunes. It debuted at number 28 on the US top 100. The song was later condemned for spreading ‘medical misinformation’ and taken off of YouTube because of the line, “Biden said the jab stop the spread, it was lies.” (Referring to vaccination efforts by Biden during the pandemic.) On October 27, iTunes had different ‘Let’s go Brandon’ songs at number one, two, and eight.