Anti-Biden ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ merchandise sold at JBER mall prompts update to vendor guidance

Ahead of the holidays, a vendor who had set up shop at a mall on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was selling figurines with an overt political message deriding the commander-in-chief.

The incident has prompted officials to update their guidance to vendors on what is — and isn’t — appropriate to sell on base.

The wooden figurines of a bear stylized to look like former President Donald Trump, with a shock of yellow hair and long red tie, stood about a foot tall and held small signs reading “Let’s Go Brandon.”

The phrase emerged this fall as a coded way of saying “F--- Joe Biden,” spreading from a viral NASCAR clip to conservative meme. “Let’s Go Brandon” became “all the rage” among Republican politicians seeking to establish conservative bona fides; a rallying cry among protesters at President Biden’s public appearances; and a motto stamped on anti-Biden merchandise sold around the country, the Associated Press reported in October.

The “Let’s Go Brandon” bears were being sold at JBER’s officially managed commercial facility and were offered by an independent vendor, according to Chris Ward, senior public affairs manager for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is a kind of commercial broker within the Defense Department, overseeing goods and services sold at U.S. military installations. At bases around the globe, exchanges house everything from fast-food chains to barber shops to small merchants running concession stands selling products to soldiers, civilians and their families.

On JBER, the bear figurine seller had a short-term contract with the venue, and by the time officials looked into the item, the merchant had already closed up shop, according to Ward.

“The ornament is no longer being sold in the mall,” Ward said, adding that it was an isolated incident.

Political speech on military bases and among service members is not a black-and-white issue, and guidelines include a range of caveats and carve-outs that depend on factors like active-duty status, the kind of support being lent to a cause and whether an individual is making statements in an individual or professional capacity.

In general, under the Defense Department’s 2020 guidance on political activity, active-duty service members are barred from overtly supporting politicians, causes and campaigns that could make the military seem partisan. Civilian Defense employees have broader latitude but cannot engage in political activity at federal facilities.

“The Exchange routinely reviews products to determine their compliance with the Exchange’s prohibition from selling items that are illegal, promote the use of drugs or alcohol, contain racial/ethnic slurs, condone racial/ethnic supremacy or include words, symbols or scenes that are lewd, profane and vulgar,” Ward said.

So does a figurine featuring a cheeky, albeit insulting, political in-joke count as inappropriate political speech on a military base?

According to Ward, yes.

“Once this product was identified, it was determined to be outside the established parameters for resale,” Ward said.

The exchange did not receive any complaints about the objects, according to Ward, who did not respond to multiple requests for the business’s name, but he said the exchange would be modifying its policies to keep similar items from appearing.

“Communication to incoming vendors will reflect the need to exclude products of this nature going forward,” Ward said.