A Southwest Airlines pilot caused controversy by using the viral phrase, “let’s go Brandon,” a TikTok video shows.
The phrase let’s go Brandon is a euphemistic way of saying “f*** Joe Biden.” The phrase has taken off among Biden detractors since an NBC News reporter falsely said that a NASCAR crowd was chanting that line when they were really chanting the expletive against the president.
The unidentified pilot used the phrase over the intercom, the video shows.
[There’s a new trend: People are posting “I did that” Biden stickers on gas pumps to mock the president over rising prices. See videos.]
Here’s what you need to know:
Southwest Says the Airline Does Not Condone ‘Divisive or Offensive’ Behavior
@thatpatriotmom 💀💀💀
According to the Associated Press, the pilot used the line on the morning of October 29, 2021, on a Southwest flight that originated in Houston and was headed to Albuquerque.
AP reported that the line generated “audible gasps from some passengers,” and criticism from Southwest Airlines, which said in a statement to the AP that the airline “takes pride in providing a welcoming, comfortable, and respectful environment” and “behavior from any individual that is divisive or offensive is not condoned.”
The TikTok video says the pilot was talking about clear skies and the temperature before he said “and remember, let’s go Brandon.”
Southwest Airlines issued a statement on Twitter on October 31, 2021, writing, “We know many of you have heard about recent statements that may have been made on a Southwest flight, and we wanted you to hear directly from us.”
Southwest added in the statement, “The Southwest team takes pride in providing a welcoming, comfortable, safe and respectful environment for the millions of customers who fly with us each year. Southwest does not condone employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job serving our customers and one employee’s individual perspective should not be interpreted as the viewpoint of Southwest and its collective 54,000 employees.”
The airline added, “Southwest is conducting an internal investigation into the recently reported event and will address the situation directly with any employee involved while continuing to remind all employees that public expression of personal opinions while on duty is unacceptable. Southwest does not tolerate any behavior that encourages divisiveness, as it does not reflect the Southwest hospitality and inclusiveness for which we are known nd strive to provide each day on every flight.”
A Journalist on the Plane Tried to Get Comment From the Pilot
An AP reporter who was working on a story about let’s go Brandon tried to get comment from the pilot and was almost removed from the plane, she tweeted.
“TFW you’re trying to go on vacation and then the pilot says the very thing you’re working on over the loud speaker and you have to try to get him comment but then almost get removed from plane,” wrote Colleen Long.
She added, “Also in defense of airline I was asking them to open locked cock pit and probably sounded insane!” She further wrote, “A portion of the U.S. was already angry well before the Brandon moment. …. But anger has now moved beyond die-hard Trump supporters, said Stanley Renshon, a political scientist and psychoanalyst at the City University of New York.”
The NBC Reporter Wrongly Said the Crowd Was Chanting, ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ at a NASCAR Race, Unwittingly Starting the Viral Trend
Let’s go Brandon is a reference to a phrase used by a journalist in a viral video in which people in the crowd chanted “f*** Joe Biden” as NASCAR racer Brandon Brown was being interviewed by NBC News reporter Kelli Stavast. The video of the crowd’s expletive-laden Biden chant went viral. You can watch it above. Be aware that the language might be disturbing to some.
The videos on the chant have had millions of views on social media.
“It’s unbelievable,” Brown said.
“Thank you to all of our partners. Oh my god it’s just such an unbelievable moment,” he said at another point.
“You can hear the chants from the crowd. Let’s go Brandon,” the anchor says in the video. They were really saying “f*** Joe Biden.”
“Oh my God, “ Brown continued, but his comments are drowned up by the bleeps blocking the F word.
According to Fox News, NASCAR deleted the video when it became clear what the crowd was really chanting.
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