Oregon man who told Biden 'Let's go, Brandon' on call says it was 'innocent jest'

An Oregon man who finished a livestreamed Christmas Eve call with President Joe Biden by using the coded insult "Let's go, Brandon" said he did not mean to "disrespect" the president.

Jared Schmeck, 35, told The Oregonian the quip – a conservative rallying cry that means "(expletive) Joe Biden" – came out of frustration over how the president is running the country.

“At the end of the day, I have nothing against Mr. Biden, but I am frustrated because I think he can be doing a better job,” Schmeck told The Oregonian. “I mean no disrespect to him.”

Caller to Biden: Merry Christmas, and let's go, Brandon

The phrase originated in October, when fans at a NASCAR race in Alabama chanted "(expletive) Joe Biden," but a TV reporter said they were yelling, "Let's go, Brandon" for the winning driver, Brandon Brown.

Since then, the phrase has gone viral. Biden's opponents splash it across social media, fly it on flags and plaster it on bumper stickers.

Schmeck said he didn't expect the call to be livestreamed and he was told first lady Jill Biden would take calls on the NORAD Santa tracker hotline.

The Bidens greeted Schmeck and his family on the call, pointing out that their son and grandson shared the name Hunter with Schmeck's son. They asked his children what they wanted for Christmas.

"Holy mackerel," Biden said when one of the children asked for a piano. Jill Biden said she still had her Barbie from when she was a kid.

As the call wrapped up, Biden joked that the kids had to be in bed by 9 p.m. for Santa to show up, before wishing Schmeck's family "Merry Christmas."

"I hope you have a wonderful Christmas as well," Schmeck said on the call. "Merry Christmas, and let's go, Brandon."

What does ‘Let’s go, Brandon’ mean? Everything you need to know about the Joe Biden insult

Biden responded, "Let's go, Brandon, I agree," before asking where Schmeck and his family lived, but the call was cut off.

Schmeck posted his side of the call on YouTube and told The Oregonian he received threatening calls after the moment went viral, but he stood behind his "joke."

“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,” he told the newspaper. “He seems likes he’s a cordial guy. There’s no animosity or anything like that. It was merely just an innocent jest to also express my God-given right to express my frustrations in a joking manner. ... I love him just like I love any other brother or sister.”

But, Schmeck told former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon that it was "very serious thing" on Bannon's program "War Room" Monday. Schmeck also said he was "proud of it" since he took the opportunity to voice his disapproval of Biden and his administration.

" 'Let’s go Brandon' encompasses the entirety of our frustration with Joe Biden, the administration, the leftist mob, the cancel culture, the mainstream media — they’re the ones who made this a thing, and we’re able, as conservatives, we’re able to find humor in this, but there’s terrible things going on," Schmeck said before going on to list inflation, supply chain problems, federal vaccine mandates and abortion as issues.

Schmeck also voiced his support for the former president, declaring Trump as his president despite him telling The Oregonian/OregonLive that he was not a "Trumper" Saturday.

"I am a Christian man for me, it’s God first and foremost, I don’t follow any one man blindly. Some of the media’s run with that and said I don’t support Donald Trump, that’s absolutely false," Schmeck told Bannon. "Donald Trump is my president, and he should still be president right now. The election was 100% stolen. So I just want to make that clear."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon man who told Biden 'Let's go Brandon' on call says it was joke