Biden confuses Taylor Swift, Britney Spears in botched turkey pardon joke
WASHINGTON — President Biden confused pop superstars Taylor Swift and Britney Spears on Monday as he badly missed a joke attempt during the annual turkey pardon event at the White House.
Biden — who celebrated his 81st birthday Monday — said the turkeys Liberty and Bell, who will be spared from Thanksgiving tables, were in competition similar to ticket-buyers for Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Swift’s Eras tours.
“Just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds — the competition,” the president began before tripping all over the punch line.
“They had to work hard, to show patience, and be willing to travel over 1,000 miles,” he said. “You could say, even, this is harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or, or, or Britney’s tour.
“She’s down in, it’s kinda warm in Brazil right now,” added Biden.
Swift, 33, is in Brazil and was forced to delay a concert in Rio de Janeiro due to extreme heat that reportedly contributed to the death of one of her fans at an earlier show.
Spears, 41, was the leading female American pop star earlier in Biden’s political career, culminating in a Las Vegas residency in 2014 and 2015.
Her debut album, “…Baby One More Time,” came out in 1999 when Biden was a senator, followed by “Blackout” in 2007 and “Circus” in 2008, the same year Biden was elected vice president.
A clear majority of voters have told pollsters that Biden, who regularly misspeaks and shares inaccurate recollections, is too old for office as he seeks a second term in next year’s election.
The president would be 86 if he completes a full second term and leaves office on Jan. 20, 2029.
