Joe Biden confuses Taylor Swift with Britney Spears on 81st birthday | US News
President Joe Biden spent the morning of his 81st birthday at the White House pardoning turkeys and during the annual tradition confused Taylor Swift with Britney Spears.
Biden set a new record as the oldest US president on Monday, and joked about his age.
‘It’s my birthday today… I just want you to know, it’s difficult turning 60 – it’s difficult,’ he said.
Partaking in the presidential tradition, he pardoned Liberty and Bell, sparing the birds from ending up on the dinner table.
Biden said the two turkeys went through hard work to be selected to be with him on the White House lawn. They had to ‘show patience and be willing to travel over 1,000 miles’, Biden said.
‘You could say even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour, or, or, or, Britney’s tour,’ he continued, shutting his eyes as he struggled with what he was trying to say.
‘She’s down in… it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.’
Biden appeared to mix up Britney Spears with another pop superstar, Taylor Swift who began a three-concert stop of her Eras Tour in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. The heat was so sweltering there on Friday that a fan died, and Swift postponed her show on Saturday to Monday. Spears was not in Brazil.
The Renaissance World Tour was Beyonce’s and ended early last month.
Biden’s blunder came as 54% of respondents in a Yahoo News/YouGov poll felt he does not have ‘the competence to carry out the job of president’, up from 49% nine months ago. The poll released on Wednesday also showed Biden trailing his predecessor Donald Trump, 42% to 44%, in the 2024 election.
Asked about his forthcoming birthday, the White House did not directly address the age issue on Sunday but chose to focus on the president’s accomplishments, making the point that his long experience in Washington has paid off.
Asked about Biden’s age on Sunday, the White House did not respond directly.
‘Because of President Biden’s decades of experience in public service and deep relationships with leaders in Congress, he passed legislation that has helped to create more than 14million jobs, lower prescription drug costs, invest in America’s infrastructure and technology and led to the strongest economic recovery in the developed world,’ White House communications director Ben LaBolt told The New York Times.
‘He has revitalized alliances on the world stage – cultivated over many years – to promote America’s interests and respond forcefully when global crises arise.’
Biden’s only public event on Monday was the turkey pardoning. He is heading to Nantucket on Tuesday for a vacation with his family.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.