Father Tells Biden “Let’s Go Brandon” on NORAD Santa Call, GOP Senators Send Christmas Messages

On 12/24/2021, President Biden was caught off guard during the annual White House NORAD Santa-tracking call when a father from Oregon used the anti-Biden phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” at the end of his family’s call. Biden’s response — “Let’s go Brandon, I agree” — immediately went viral. The video also features Christmas messages from Republican senators including John Kennedy, James Lankford, Marsha Blackburn, Ted Cruz, and John Hoeven.

”Merry Christmas and Let’s Go Brandon”

The moment came during a holiday tradition where the president and first lady Jill Biden take calls from children tracking Santa Claus through NORAD. A father identified only as Jared from Oregon wished the Bidens a merry Christmas before adding the now-famous phrase.

“Yeah, I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas as well,” Biden said in response to the family’s well wishes. Then Jared added: “Merry Christmas and let’s go Brandon.”

“Let’s go Brandon, I agree,” Biden responded, either unaware of the phrase’s meaning or choosing to brush it off. The phrase “Let’s go Brandon” had become a widely used euphemism for an anti-Biden obscenity, originating from a NASCAR event in October 2021 where a reporter mischaracterized a crowd’s chant.

Kennedy: “It’s Okay to Say Merry Christmas”

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana delivered a characteristically warm Christmas message emphasizing both the secular and religious dimensions of the holiday. “Wonderful Christmas. Merry Christmas — it’s okay to say Merry Christmas,” Kennedy said. “I wish you all peace and joy and wisdom and courage and faith and especially love.”

Kennedy spoke about what Christmas meant to him personally. “From an earthly perspective, I love Christmas because hurricane season is over. I love Christmas because I get to be with my family and my friends. I love Christmas because it makes me happy and I love Christmas because every now and then I get to do a little fishing and duck hunting.”

“From a more important spiritual perspective, I’m a Christian and Christmas is very, very important to me as a Christian because we celebrate Christ’s birthday. The Christ who died on the cross to save us from our sins,” Kennedy said.

Lankford’s Christmas Story

Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma delivered an emotional message about the meaning of Christmas, sharing his family traditions and reflecting on the birth of Jesus. “We have the creator of the universe who wanted to reconcile with his most favorite creation of all — people. So badly he wanted to reconcile with us and he became one of us,” Lankford said.

He described Christ taking “the most humble form possible — this God-man Jesus born to a peasant virgin, a 15 or 16-year-old girl who was betrothed to a carpenter. There wasn’t a hospital, there wasn’t even a midwife, but there was a barn, a stable surrounded by smelly animals and hay. And there they gave birth to God.”

Lankford also shared a lighthearted personal detail: “This year we have a puppy and because we have a new puppy you can’t have as many low-hanging ornaments, if you know what I mean.”

Blackburn’s Tennessee Christmas

Senator Marsha Blackburn wished viewers a “true Tennessee Christmas.” “May you be blessed. May you be surrounded by friends and family and those that you cherish. May you sing those Christmas carols at the top of your voice and celebrate the goodness that we have experienced this year,” Blackburn said. “And how grateful we are to live in a free nation.”

Cruz and Hoeven

Senator Ted Cruz kept his message brief, calling Christmas “a very special time of the year where we come together with loved ones to reflect on our great blessings and to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.”

Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota shared his tradition of putting up Christmas lights early to beat the cold. “In North Dakota where it’s really, really cold, I don’t wait for the cold weather to put the lights up on my house,” Hoeven said. “I start sometime around Halloween whenever there’s a Saturday or Sunday that I am home and it’s above 50 degrees.”

Key Takeaways

A father from Oregon told Biden “Let’s Go Brandon” during the annual NORAD Santa-tracking call; Biden responded “Let’s go Brandon, I agree.”
Senator Kennedy declared “it’s okay to say Merry Christmas” and delivered a message blending humor (“hurricane season is over”) with Christian faith.
Senator Lankford shared an emotional reflection on the Christmas story, calling Jesus “the most humble form possible” of the creator.
Multiple GOP senators delivered personal Christmas messages emphasizing faith, family, and gratitude.
The “Let’s Go Brandon” exchange became one of the most widely shared moments of Biden’s first year.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Merry Christmas and let’s go Brandon. Let’s go Brandon, I agree.
Wonderful Christmas. Merry Christmas — it’s okay to say Merry Christmas. I wish you all peace and joy and wisdom and courage and faith and especially love.
From an earthly perspective, I love Christmas because hurricane season is over. I love Christmas because it makes me happy.
We have the creator of the universe who wanted to reconcile with his most favorite creation of all — people. So badly he wanted to reconcile with us and he became one of us.
May you sing those Christmas carols at the top of your voice and celebrate the goodness that we have experienced this year.
In a tough year in a tough time, it’s really important to hang on to that good news of a savior born on Christmas.

Full transcript: 1093 words transcribed via Whisper AI.