WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden had a pop culture reference moment gone wrong during his speech at the White House’s annual turkey pardoning ceremony on Monday, November 20.
Ahead of Thanksgiving, Biden, who is known for his frequent gaffes, made another memorable lapsus linguae when he mistakenly mentioned Britney Spears instead of Taylor Swift.
In a clip that went immensely viral, the POTUS can be seen pardoning two turkeys, Liberty and Bell. Subsequently, he said, "Just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds and competition. They had to work hard, to show patience, and be willing to travel over 1,000 miles."
Later, as he tried to acknowledge two of the greatest economy-boosting mega concert tours of the year, he made a mix-up as he said, "You could say it’s even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or, or Britney’s tour. She’s down…it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now," as per NBC News.
While he mentioned Beyonce's 'Renaissance Tour' correctly, he seemed to have mistaken Swift for Spears.
Even though the 'Oops...I Did It Again' singer has been a prominent cultural figure in the current year due to her memoir 'The Woman in Me' becoming a huge hit, Spears is currently not on a tour.
On the other hand, Swift is currently in Brazil on the international leg of the highly successful 'The Eras Tour'. She had to postpone her November 18 show in Rio de Janeiro because of extreme weather conditions.
Taylor Swift pays tribute to fan who died ahead of her first Rio de Janeiro show
Tragedy struck during Taylor Swift's November 17 show as a 23-year-old fan, Ana Clara Benevides Machado, collapsed and died amid the extreme temperatures.
Swift took to Instagram to share a tribute, noting, "I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show."
She continued, "I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this. There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young."
"I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil," concluded the pop icon.
Internet reacts to President Joe Biden's latest gaffe
The video of Joe Biden mistaking Taylor Swift for Britney Spears went viral on social media, and netizens couldn't help but get back with their hilarious comments.
One said, "See how he remembered the actual tour of the decade," while another stated, "To be fair, everyone’s brain is like this the week of thanksgiving."
A Beyonce fan celebrated, "As long as he knows the Renaissance tour that’s all that matters to me. He knows the important one."
"President Biden isn’t supposed to know who she is. I bet she know who he is though," quipped a person.
"To be fair Beyonce is closer to his age so thats why he dont know taylors name :/ shes for the new kids," said someone else.
"Well he’s not wrong… since Britney isn’t touring it would be really hard to get a ticket to her tour," joked another social media user.
However, a netizen defended the president saying, "Pop stars are memorable to a person depending on the generation they belong to. So if an 80+ year old man (with a lot of more urgent things on his mind) can't recall Taylor Swift vs Britney Spears, it is very understandable...give him a break."
"Maybe he’s looking forward to Britney’s future tour. He’s wishing it into existence," wished a Spears fan.
Someone else said, "Harder than Swifties, the Beyhive and Britney stans taking down Ticketmaster!!"
Taylor Swift previously endorsed Joe Biden for president
Taylor Swift, who has been a vocal supporter of the Democratic Party ever since 2018, criticized former President Donald Trump in an August 2020 post and endorsed Joe Biden, who was then a presidential nominee.
The 'Cruel Summer' singer spoke to V Magazine's Thought Leaders Issue and said an impending win for Joe Biden in the presidential election would start the nation's "healing process."
She also praised the veteran Democratic leader and said in 2020, "The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included."
Biden also once thanked the Grammy-winning superstar and posted, "Election Day is right around the corner — are you ready for it?" as per NBC.
