NASCAR driver Brandon Brown says that he is having difficulty finding sponsorships after a viral interview with NBC sparked the "Let's Go, Brandon" rally cry.
Brown had just won a race and was being interviewed by NBC reporter Kelli Stavast when a chant of "f-ck Joe Biden" broke out.
The reporter falsely claimed that the crowd was chanting "Let’s Go Brandon" in support of Brown — and a new meme was born.
When asked about the viral anti-Biden slogan, Brown said that it has been difficult for him and that he has unwillingly become a divisive figure.
"It got extremely difficult for us. … If you’re a national corporation, that means you sell to all consumers … and unfortunately, when you get dragged into the political arena, people want you to take a side,’" Brown said in an interview with Sports Business Journal.
Brown continued on to say that "it's hard for a brand to want to attach to somebody who might be kind of divisive in their consumer base. If I'm going to divide Coca-Cola, why would they want to talk to me?"
"So the short answer is it's been tough to connect with partnerships just because it's kind of viewed as a ticking time bomb: 'What is he doing to choose or say and how would that effect our consumer base?' It's too much of a risk.' I understand it on their side but it's made it really hard to tie everything down," Brown continued.
The catchphrase has been the subject of added media scrutiny and discussion after a father said the phrase directly to President Joe Biden during a NORAD Santa Tracker call on Christmas Eve. NBC News, the network where it originated, even referred to the phrase as a "right-wing anti-Biden slur" in an article about the incident.
Brown also addressed the slogan in an op-ed published in Newsweek on December 20. Read my thoughts ⬇️https://t.co/1E9kTMdcMB
— Brandon Brown (@brandonbrown_68) December 20, 2021
"I have no interest in leading some political fight. I race cars. I am not going to endorse anyone, and I am certainly not going to tell anyone how to vote," Brown wrote. "But I'm also no longer going to be silent about the situation I find myself in, and why millions of Americans are chanting my name. I hear them, even if Washington does not."
"To my fans, to NASCAR fans and to everyone who has chanted my name: I dedicate myself this upcoming season to compete hard on the racetrack and to spotlight issues that are important to me and to millions of Americans across the country," he continued.
Brown concluded the article by writing, "Let's Go America."
