# Let's Go Brandon > Let's Go Brandon is a 2021 political catchphrase that originated when an NBC Sports reporter misinterpreted anti-Biden crowd chants as cheers for NASCAR driver Brandon Brown during a live post-race interview. "Let's Go Brandon" is a political catchphrase that took off in October 2021 as a coded way to say "Fuck Joe Biden." It started when an NBC Sports reporter appeared to misinterpret anti-Biden crowd chants as cheers for NASCAR driver Brandon Brown during a live post-race interview[5]. The phrase spread rapidly through conservative social media, spawned multiple chart-topping rap songs, and was adopted by Republican politicians from congressmen to governors[3]. ## Origin The backstory starts in early September 2021, when crowds at college football games across the Southern United States began chanting "Fuck Joe Biden" during games[1]. The trend first showed up at Texas A&M, Coastal Carolina, and Virginia Tech, then spread to other schools including Ole Miss and Auburn over the following weekends[1]. TikToker @oldrowswig compiled footage of the chants at games, concerts, and bars on September 5th, racking up over 232,000 views[4]. The chants were linked to frustration over the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and vaccine mandates[1]. The anti-Biden chanting wasn't limited to college stadiums. Staind frontman Aaron Lewis led a "Fuck Joe Biden" chant at a reunion concert in Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, while wearing an "I Could Shit a Better President" shirt[2]. Donald Trump hosted a pay-per-view boxing event on September 11th where the crowd chanted both "We want Trump" and "Fuck Joe Biden"[4]. On October 2, 2021, Brandon Brown won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama[5]. During a post-race interview on the NBC Sports broadcast, reporter Kelli Stavast acknowledged the crowd noise by saying, "You can hear the chants from the crowd, 'Let's go, Brandon!'" The crowd was clearly chanting "Fuck Joe Biden"[4]. Whether Stavast genuinely misheard the chant or deliberately reframed it on live TV has never been clarified. An Associated Press reporter noted the chant was "at first difficult to make out"[5]. A clip of the moment hit Twitter the same day, posted by @TrumpJew2, and pulled in over 3.8 million views, 28,000 likes, and 10,000 retweets within four days[4]. - **Platform:** NBC Sports broadcast (origin moment), Twitter / TikTok (viral spread) - **Creator:** Kelli Stavast (NBC reporter, inadvertent coiner) - **Date:** 2021 ## Overview "Let's Go Brandon" functions as a family-friendly substitute for "Fuck Joe Biden," doubling as both a political protest phrase and a jab at mainstream media. The phrase works on two levels: it expresses disapproval of Biden while mocking what many saw as a reporter's attempt to spin or sanitize crowd sentiment on live television[4]. The slogan appeared on t-shirts, hats, flags, banners, face masks, and even airport loudspeaker pages[4]. It crossed from internet joke to real-world political shorthand within days of its creation. ## How It Spread The phrase moved fast. By October 3rd, Donald Trump Jr. posted photos of people holding a "Fuck Joe Biden" flag with the caption "Great to see real America representing loud and proud. 'Let's go, Brandon!'" collecting over 51,000 likes[4]. Brown himself tweeted "Let's go Brandon" on October 4th, adding "not political… just feelin myself," which got 15,300 likes[4]. Over the next few days, the phrase blanketed conservative Twitter. Users swapped it in for "Fuck Joe Biden" with the hashtag #LetsGoBrandon. One user photoshopped it onto AOC's "Tax the Rich" Met Gala dress[4]. Someone paged a passenger named "Let's Go Brandon" over the loudspeaker at Chicago O'Hare airport[4]. Fox News interviewees started dropping it on live television[4]. Republican politicians picked it up quickly. Congressman Bill Posey ended House floor remarks with "Let's go, Brandon" on October 21st[5]. Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted the hashtag the next day, blaming Biden's "disastrous policies" for the phrase's popularity[5]. Senator Ted Cruz called it "one of the funniest things he's ever seen," saying it "captures everything about fake news all at once"[4]. Congressman Jeff Duncan wore a face mask with the phrase printed on it[5]. Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire started selling "Let's Go Brandon" t-shirts on October 5th[4]. The meme's most unexpected turn came through music. By the week of October 28th, four songs titled "Let's Go Brandon" occupied slots in the iTunes U.S. top 10[3]. Bryson Gray's version (featuring Tyson James and Chandler Crump) held the number one spot, while rapper Loza Alexander claimed spots two, five, and six with his original, extended, and remix versions[3]. The five top positions on the iTunes hip-hop chart were all "Let's Go Brandon" tracks, knocking Adele's "Easy on Me" to third place overall[5]. Alexander's music video, posted October 10th, pulled over 4.4 million views in a month[4]. Gray claimed YouTube banned his track for "medical misinformation," likely over anti-vaccine lyrics, and said TikTok also removed it without explanation[3]. ## How to Use The phrase typically works as a direct substitution for "Fuck Joe Biden" in any context. Common uses include: 1. **As a standalone exclamation** — Drop "Let's go Brandon" at the end of a complaint about gas prices, inflation, or government policy 2. **As a crowd chant** — Used at sporting events, rallies, and public gatherings in the same cadence as the original anti-Biden chant 3. **On merchandise** — Printed on shirts, hats, flags, bumper stickers, and face masks 4. **In social media posts** — Added as a caption, hashtag (#LetsGoBrandon), or sign-off to political commentary 5. **As a comedic interjection** — Worked into unrelated conversations or live broadcasts for shock value, like the airport paging incident[4] ## Cultural Impact The phrase jumped from internet joke to full-blown political slogan faster than most memes manage. Linguist John McWhorter analyzed it in The Atlantic, comparing the use of "Brandon" to a hlonipha, a linguistic substitution for a forbidden word, similar to how "SNAFU" sanitizes its profane origin[5]. He called the Let's Go Brandon phenomenon "simply fascinating" and "a wild, woolly kink in the intersection of language, politics, wit, and creativity"[5]. Not everyone found it charming. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board wrote that the chant "reveals a moral bankruptcy of those who chant it even in church"[5]. Marc Thiessen, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, initially disliked it but concluded it was "a perfectly harmless and humorous way for Americans to express their frustration at a flailing, and failing, presidency"[5]. NASCAR president Steve Phelps publicly rejected any association with the slogan on November 5, 2021, saying the organization didn't want to be tied to politics on either side[5]. The man at the center of it all, Brandon Brown, had complicated feelings. The phrase overshadowed his Talladega win and scared off corporate sponsors wary of political controversy[5]. His Brandonbilt Motorsports team struggled to find sponsorship as companies didn't want the association[5]. Brown, a Republican, said he had "zero desire to be involved in politics" and wished the phrase could be used positively[5]. He eventually wrote a Newsweek op-ed stating he wouldn't endorse anyone but also wouldn't stay silent on issues that mattered to him[5]. Donald Trump Jr. used the meme's momentum to argue media bias, telling The Daily Caller that "the media can't run cover for him anymore" and citing Afghanistan, border issues, and inflation as reasons behind public frustration with Biden[1]. ## Fun Facts - The original "Fuck Joe Biden" chant trend was partially popularized through TikTok compilations before the NASCAR incident gave it a PG-rated rebrand[4] - Four "Let's Go Brandon" songs hit the iTunes top 10 in the same week, something no single meme phrase had achieved before in chart history[3] - Brandon Brown's initial reaction was lighthearted. He tweeted "To all the other Brandons out there, You're welcome! Let's go us" before realizing the political baggage it carried[5] - Bryson Gray claimed both YouTube and TikTok banned his version of the song, though the stated reason was "medical misinformation" rather than political content[3] - The phrase was used on the House floor, printed on a congressman's face mask, flown on a banner behind a plane, and displayed on a billboard, all within weeks of its creation[5] ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Let's Go Brandon? "Let's Go Brandon" is a political catchphrase used as a euphemism for "Fuck Joe Biden," originating from a misinterpreted crowd chant during a NASCAR broadcast in October 2021[4]. ### Where did Let's Go Brandon come from? It came from an October 2, 2021, NBC Sports interview with NASCAR driver Brandon Brown at Talladega Superspeedway, where reporter Kelli Stavast described the crowd's "Fuck Joe Biden" chant as "Let's go, Brandon"[5]. ### What does Let's Go Brandon mean? It's a coded way of saying "Fuck Joe Biden" while also poking fun at perceived media bias, since the reporter appeared to misrepresent what the crowd was actually saying[6]. ### How do you use Let's Go Brandon? It's used as a standalone exclamation, crowd chant, social media hashtag, or merchandise slogan anywhere someone wants to express disapproval of Biden in a less explicit way[4]. ### Is Let's Go Brandon still popular? The phrase peaked in late 2021 and early 2022 during Biden's presidency. With Biden leaving office in January 2025, its political relevance faded, though it still circulates in conservative circles[5]. ### Who is Kelli Stavast? She's the NBC Sports reporter who, during the live Talladega broadcast, described the crowd's anti-Biden chant as "Let's go, Brandon." As of late 2023, she had not publicly clarified whether she misheard the chant or intentionally reframed it[5]. ### How did Brandon Brown react to the meme? Brown initially found it amusing and tweeted support, but privately worried it overshadowed his racing career and scared off sponsors. His Brandonbilt Motorsports team struggled to acquire corporate sponsorship due to the political association[5]. ### Which politicians used Let's Go Brandon? Republican congressman Bill Posey said it on the House floor, Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted it, Senator Ted Cruz praised it in an interview, and congressman Jeff Duncan wore it on a face mask[5]. ### How many Let's Go Brandon songs charted? Four different songs titled "Let's Go Brandon" reached the iTunes U.S. top 10 in the same week, by artists Bryson Gray, Loza Alexander, and Godz Child[3]. ### Did the chants start before the NASCAR race? Yes. "Fuck Joe Biden" chants broke out at college football games across the Southern United States starting in early September 2021, weeks before the October 2nd NASCAR incident gave the movement its catchphrase[1]. ### What did NASCAR say about the meme? NASCAR president Steve Phelps denounced any association with the slogan on November 5, 2021, saying the organization did not want to be associated with politics from either side[5]. ### Why were the songs banned from platforms? Bryson Gray reported that YouTube removed his track for "medical misinformation," likely due to anti-vaccine lyrics, and TikTok also removed it without providing an explanation[3]. ## References 1. [Staind vocalist leads "fuck Joe Biden" chant in President's hometown]() 2. [‘F*** Joe Biden’ Chants Erupt Across College Football Games for Second Weekend - Newsweek]() 3. [The Daily Wire - Redirecting...]() 4. [Let's Go Brandon - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Let's Go Brandon]() 6. [Let's Go Brandon - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [Four anti-Biden ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ songs reach iTunes top 10]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/lets-go-brandon Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library