President Joe Biden made a bizarre, confusing joke during the annual turkey pardoning ceremony at the White House on Monday, seemingly referencing Taylor Swift’s sweltering concert in Brazil, which tragically resulted in the death of one fan, but also mentioning Beyoncé’s tour and Britney Spears as well.
“Now, just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds and competition,” Biden said, discussing the turkeys.
Joe Biden makes a joke about how hard it is to get tickets to Beyonce's Renaissance Tour except he says that her name is "Brittany.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 20, 2023
He then says she is currently performing in Brazil, which is where Taylor Swift just did shows on her Eras Tour.
Beyonce's tour ended in October. pic.twitter.com/LUZb9UMeUS
“They had to work hard to show patience and be willing to travel over a thousand miles. You could say even it’s harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance Tour,” he said, seemingly referring to Beyoncé’s tour. But then he stammered on, muttering, “Or, or Britney’s tour. She’s down in — it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.”
WATCH — Taylor Swift Hands Out Water Mid-Show in Rio de Janeiro’s Extreme Heat:
It seems as though he was referring to Taylor Swift rather than Spears, as she recently held a concert in Rio de Janeiro. It made headlines for the excessive heat, which resulted in the death of one 23-year-old fan. Swift handwrote a note posted to social media after learning of the young woman’s untimely passing.
Instagram/Taylor Swift
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I saw we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show,” the “Lavender Haze” singer wrote in part.
“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 incredibly beautiful and far too young,” she continued, adding that she would not be able to speak about it on stage because she is “overwhelmed by grief” when she tries to talk about it.
“I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends,” Swift continued. “This is the last thing I ever thought would happen the we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”
That was not the only laugh Biden attempted to get during the ceremony, joking that he was only turning 60 rather than 81.
“I want you to know I wasn’t there the first one; I was too young to make it up,” Biden said when noting it was the 76th anniversary of the White House tradition.
