Why Are the Media Treating 'Let's Go Brandon' Like Criminal Hate Speech?

Last month, NBC reporter Kelli Stavast was interviewing NASCAR driver Brandon Brown following his victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sparks 300 race when fans started chanting "fuck Joe Biden." But that's not what Stavast heard.

And so the "let's go Brandon" chant—a less vulgar way of signaling one's opposition to the current president—was born. Fans say it at sports gatherings. Conservatives tweet it at each other. Even Republican politicians are getting in on it. Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas) has been known to say it.

So what?

Well, even though it was completely normal for Democrats to vigorously insult former President Donald Trump throughout his presidency, some liberal media figures have decided that the comparatively mild "let's go Brandon" chant is an essentially violent utterance. Asha Rangappa, a commentator for CNN, said it was akin to making a pro-ISIS statement.