President Joe Biden confused Taylor Swift and Britney Spears in his remarks during the annual White House turkey pardon ceremony on Monday, which coincided with the president’s 81st birthday.
He was about to forgive the two turkeys, Liberty and Bell, when he accidentally used Britney’s name in an apparent reference to Swift’s current international tour.
“To get here, Liberty and Bell had to overcome tough obstacles and competition. They had to work hard, show patience and be willing to travel more than 1,000 miles,” Biden said. “You could say it’s even more difficult than getting tickets for the Renaissance Tour or the Tour of Brittany… It’s a bit hot in Brazil right now.”
Swift performed in Brazil on Sunday night after postponing her Saturday show due to extreme heat in the country. Spears is not currently on tour.
The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Biden’s apparent confusion, which comes after voters expressed concern in surveys about his age.
According to a recent NBC News poll, Swift was found to be highly popular among voters: 94% recognized her name when asked.
Swift also earned high net favorability ratings in the survey, with 40% of registered voters having a positive opinion of her, while only 16% had a negative opinion.
The star turkeys at Monday’s ceremony also adore Swift, according to Steve Lyken, president of the National Turkey Federation. He said Sunday that Liberty and Bell were listening to music before the pardon. “I can confirm that they are indeed Swifties,” he said.
Following the conclusion of her concert in Buenos Aires, Taylor Swift offered a different kind of show with her boyfriend, American football player Travis Kelce.
The President’s glaring mistake has come to light on his 81st birthday. In the same remarks, Biden joked about his age, saying, “As many of you know, being 60 is hard.”
“This is the 76th anniversary of this event. He joked, “I want you to know I wasn’t there and I was too young to get involved.”
The latest NBC News poll found that Biden trails former President Donald Trump among young voters ages 18 to 34, of whom 46% support Trump and 42% support Biden.
The disparity is significant compared to Biden’s success among young voters in the 2020 presidential election, when he won voters ages 18 to 29 by more than 20 points, according to national exit polls.
Another NBC News poll conducted in September found that 59% of Americans have deep concerns about the physical and mental health required for Biden to serve a second term as president.
(tagstotranslate)Joe Biden