This Christmas Eve, President Joe Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden were taking calls with NORAD Santa Tracker when a caller ‘Jared’ slurred the President.
The caller took the phone after his kids had listed out their wishes for Santa as per the tradition. He then ended the phone call with ‘Let’s go Brandon’, a right-wing insult.
History of the Right-wing Slur: ‘let’s Go Brandon’
In Republican and other conservative segments, this insult has been popularly used. It has even been called out on the House floor. ‘Let’s go Brandon’ is a coded slur, born when the crowd chanted anti-Biden comments after a NASCAR race.
The NBC sports reporter who was covering the event mistook the chant to be ‘Let’s go Brandon’. He thought the crowd was referring to and chanting in favor of the NASCAR race winner Brandon Brown.
Since that October 2nd race on Talladega Superspeedway, this slur has been repeatedly used against President Biden. This phone call was just one of those instances.
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What Was President Joe Biden’s Reaction?
When the caller hurled the insult at the President, the President replied to the euphemism as, ” Let’s go, Brandon, I agree”. This indicates that the President either did not know the meaning of the insult or it didn’t simply matter to him.
Earlier, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the President’s reaction regarding the popular right-wing slur, to which she replied: “I don’t think he spends much time focused on it or thinking about it.”
The very happening of a parent using this slur live, when thousands of American children are watching the Santa tracker transmission is extremely unpleasant. Jill Biden’s spokesperson Michael LaRosa was appalled at this shocking behavior.
In a tweet on Sunday, LaRosa expressed that the entire incident was “sick, tasteless, classless, disrespectful, juvenile, & appalling behavior for a parent (toward any commander-in-chief)”.
He added that he was grateful that parents like @POTUS and @FLOTUS (I.e the President and the First Lady) exist who successfully raised their kids and set an example for other parents.
ABC News labeled the insult as ‘vulgar’ and commented that this phrase was used when conservatives wished to express their dismay over President Biden’s policies.
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NORAD’s Santa Tracker
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is the successor of Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD). NORAD is a bi-national organization that brings the US and Canada close together in a military alliance.
NORAD is the aerospace and maritime warning authority since it has several detection technologies to provide active surveillance against attacks.
For 66 years, NORAD has been tracking Santa’s progress each year. It all started in 1955 when a child accidentally called an unlisted number of NORAD to ask for Santa.
The Operations Director Colonel Harry Shoup asked his staff to track Santa down and it has continued to date. NORAD also has a NORAD Santa website which helps kids to see Santa traveling across the globe.
The website becomes life every year from December 1st to 25th. NORAD is thus, the official Santa tracker for kids all over the country.
According to NORAD, it is the only organization that has people, qualifications, and technology capable enough to track Santa.
They also claim that the CF-18s of NORAD takeoff from Newfoundland to escort Santa over to America. They say that Santa loves the welcome NORAD fighter planes give him so he slows down to fly at the same speed as the fighter jets.
NORAD claims that the heat of Rudolph the Reindeer’s red nose allows the thermal-tracking technology of NORAD to track Santa across the American continent.
Surely, kids all over America love NORAD’s Santa Tracking website and phone calls. Its popularity has led to the tradition of the President and the First Lady being involved in NORAD’s Santa Calling on Christmas Eve.
