As a political catchphrase and Internet meme, “Let’s Go Brandon” has replaced the vulgar expression “Fuck Joe Biden,” directed at Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the US, and his followers. Early in September 2021, the phrase “Fuck Joe Biden” started to be chanted during sporting events.
The shout in the background was wrongly identified as “Let’s Go Brandon” by NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast on October 2, 2021, during a televised interview of Sparks 300 race winner Brandon Brown at Talladega Superspeedway, which led to the creation of the meme. Republican lawmakers and Biden detractors have used the catchphrase frequently, making it well-known. Rap songs that used the phrase performed well on record charts, and the word quickly filtered into popular culture.
Meaning Of LGBFJB
Let’s go, Brandon F**k Joe Biden is abbreviated as “LGBFJB.” To create the expanded variant, “LGBFJB,” people constructed the independent acronyms “LGB” and “FJB.” On social media, the slogan is frequently used by Trump backers.
People who use the hashtag “LGBFJB” are sick of Joe Biden’s policies and believe it’s time for a new administration. People who use the expression frequently support Trump and wish to see “The Donald” retake the White House. On social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, the hashtag LGBFJB is widely used and appears in posts, videos, photographs, and even music videos.
Example Usage
“Through his son, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden purportedly has a tie to a Ukrainian energy firm. In a publicized conversation, Hunter was instructed to “take ten for the big guy.” What does that signify, I wonder? LGBFJB.”
I wonder how much sway Lockheed Martin has in the White House? The cost of all these weapons flowing to Ukraine must be covered by the taxpayers. LGBFJB.”
Origins
Background: Screams Against Biden
Early in September 2021, college football games in the Southern United States were reportedly marred by cries of “Fuck Joe Biden.” Later that month, Wyoming and other institutions began to experience the same thing. Similar anti-Biden chanting was heard during the Ryder Cup in September 2021.
At a Megadeth concert in September 2021 and at a demonstration in opposition to a vaccine requirement for educators in New York City in October 2021, “Fuck Joe Biden” was reportedly screamed by some participants, according to The Washington Examiner.
The Phrase Was First Used in a Conversation With Brandon Brown.
Following his victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sparks 300 race, cut short due to darkness on October 2, 2021, at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, racing driver Brandon Brown was being interviewed by NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast. The phrase “Fuck Joe Biden” was being chanted by supporters, and viewers of the program could hear this.
Reporter Stavast said during the live broadcast while wearing a headphone, “You can hear the chants from the crowd, “Let’s go, Brandon!” Stavast may have misread the chant or she may have purposefully misquoted it; an Associated Press report claimed that the chorus was “at first difficult to figure out.” It might have been verbal legerdemain if done on purpose.
Early Occurrences and Responses
The phrase was adopted as a sign of hostility toward President Biden by detractors after a video of the conversation went viral. According to rumors that the reporter’s portrayal of the crowd’s chant was meant to hide anti-Biden emotions, it has also been portrayed as a protest against what is seen to be liberal bias in mainstream media.
The remark was tweeted by conservative commentators Ben Shapiro and Tomi Lahren. Clothing, a billboard, and a banner carried behind a plane over a pro-Donald Trump gathering in Iowa, all bear the catchphrase.
The Independent reported on October 19 that “the anti-Biden battle cry ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ is no longer a conservative media phenomenon, it’s invading mainstream popular culture and is now number one and two on iTunes, knocking Adele’s new track into third place.”
Usage
Analysis
John McWhorter, a linguist, evaluated the chant’s grammatical features for The Atlantic and compared the use of “Brandon” to a Doniphan, which is the substitution of an impermissible word. He claimed that the anti-Biden phrase has the same ring as the acronym SNAFU, which stands for “Situation Normal – All Fucked Up,” or the term “cuckservatives,” which certain nationalists or paleoconservatives use to refer to neoconservatives who they believe to be liberals.
The Let’s Go Brandon phenomenon was called “simply intriguing” and a “wild, woolly kink in the nexus of language, politics, wit, and inventiveness,” according to McWhorter. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board stated that the slogan “reveals a moral bankruptcy of people who chant it even in church” on November 20, 2021.
Former George W. Bush chief speechwriter Marc Thiessen wrote in a November 23, 2021 opinion piece for The Washington Post that the chant was mild compared to what had been said about prior presidents. Initially not a fan of the chant, Thiessen later said, “it is an innocuous and hilarious way for Americans to show their dissatisfaction at a floundering – and failing – presidency” as he wrapped off his remarks.
Politics Use
Let’s go, Brandon! This is how Congressman Bill Posey ended his remarks on the House of Representatives floor on October 21, 2021. Participants at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” hats with a font that mimics Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign logo.
Public usage of the word has been made by Republican politicians. Bill Posey, a Republican congressman, ended his remarks on the House floor on October 21 by saying, “Let’s go, Brandon.” Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, used it in a tweet on October 22. He explained the phrase’s popularity as a result of anger at Biden’s “disastrous policies,” which included how he handled the COVID-19 outbreak and the southern border.
The message was written on a face mask that Republican representative Jeff Duncan wore on the House floor the following week. At the 2021 World Series in Houston, a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign was placed, and Senator Ted Cruz took a photo with it. Later in 2021, a steadily growing number of national Republican officials expressed their support for or referred to the slogan. I don’t think he spends much time on it or thinking about it, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in response to a question about Biden’s opinions on the term on November 12, 2021.
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