Biden suffers embarrassing pop-star mix-up during White House event
Doing little to counter critics who believe he is simply too old and out of touch for a second term in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden last week embarrassingly confused pop stars Britney Spears and Taylor Swift while attempting to make a joke during a White House event, as the Daily Mail reports.
The incident occurred during the annual turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House, which just happened to coincide with Biden's 81st birthday.
According to reports, the president's attempt to draw on pop culture for humorous effect began when he referenced the lucky poultry duo -- a pair of turkeys named Liberty and Bell -- and the good fortune they were experiencing by securing a reprieve.
Biden noted that the turkeys had “beat some tough odds and competition” to have received presidential clemency, and it was then that his metaphors began to hit the skids.
Comparing the longshot chances of the turkeys to those hoping to see their favorite singers in concert, Biden said, “You could say even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour...or, or, or...Britney's tour...she's down in...it's kind of warm in Brazil right now.”
The trouble with Biden's analogy was multi-faceted, however, as the Renaissance tour he mentioned was actually Beyonce's endeavor, and it ended last month.
Furthermore, Spears has not gone on any sort of tour for many years and is not known to have been in Brazil of late.
Observers came to the conclusion that Biden meant to reference Swift, who has actually been performing in South America of late.
However, Biden's quip about the heat in Brazil was thought by many to be in rather poor taste, given that a Swift fan recently died du ring a show in Rio de Janeiro due to the excessive temperatures that reportedly prevailed at the venue.
The entire episode seemed to underscore for many the clear concerns among the electorate about Biden's advancing age and apparent cognitive decline.
Those worries, according to NBC News, are especially prevalent among younger demographic groups, which are typically a Democratic Party stronghold and which Biden likely needs in order to prevail in 2024.
Media critics were quick to react to Biden's gaffe, with journalist Megyn Kelly taking note of the cringeworthy incident on her podcast.
“I don't understand any piece of what just happened there,” Kelly said, referencing Biden's remarks.
She continued, “Don't give him pop references that he can't land if he happens to go off script or lose prompter for two seconds,” adding, “[h]e has access to the nuclear codes, okay? This is why the numbers are so dreadful in particular with the young people," and at this rate, it seems highly likely that things will only get worse for the aging president as the weeks and months progress.