President Joe Biden celebrated his 81st birthday today with a turkey-pardoning pardon ceremony at the White House, except he made a funny faux pas by confusing pop icons Taylor Swift and Britney Spears. As he pardoned two birds named Liberty and Bell, he jokes about his age and expectedly made light of the event, saying, “By the way, it’s my birthday today…I just want you to know it’s difficult turning 60.” He went on to mistake Taylor Swift for Britney Spears performing in Brazil during the turkey-pardoning event.
The turkey pardoning event at White House South Lawn has been a White House tradition for 76 years. Ahead of the ceremony, the National Thanksgiving turkeys, Liberty and Bell, were taken by road from the Jennie-O company in Minnesota in a black Cadillac Escalade. The turkeys also checked into a luxury hotel where they were prepared for the event by being played music, including Taylor Swift songs. The ceremony was a lighthearted start to the holiday season in Washington, despite the mix-up made by President Biden between the two famous pop stars.
The mix-up where President Biden unintentionally switched Taylor Swift for Britney Spears has once again brought attention to his age, with polls showing him trailing Republican leader Donald Trump among under-35s. Consequently, a majority of Americans believe that Biden is too old to be effective for another four years. However, the ceremony served as a reminder for those present to be thankful for the blessings of living in a great nation like the United States as exalted by the President.
