Joe Biden calls Beyoncé ‘Britney’ before confusing her with Taylor Swift

President Joe Biden appeared to get confused over Beyoncé and Taylor Swift during the annual White House turkey pardon on Monday (20 November).

The yearly event sees the US president spare a turkey or turkeys from the dinner table ahead of the country’s Thanksgiving celebrations.

“Now, just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds, a competition,” Biden, 81, said of this year’s turkeys.

“They had to work hard to show patience and be willing to travel over a thousand miles,” he said.

“You could say even this is harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour, or, for Britney’s tour she’s down in – it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.”

Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour wrapped in October, however; while Taylor Swift is the artist whose sold-out Eras tour has made its way down to Brazil.

The “Anti-Hero” singer’s second and third shows in the country’s capital were postponed over the weekend due to a heat wave. One 23-year-old fan named Ana Clara Benevides died after attending Swift’s Friday (17 November) show, which has been linked to extreme temperatures inside the venue.

The Independent has contacted the show’s organisers, T4F; Taylor Swift and Nilton Santos Stadium for comment.

During the show, Swift was seen repeatedly handing out water to fans near the stage.

The office of Rio’s public prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation and said Benevides’ body was being examined.

Following the news of Benevide’s death, Swift posted an emotional tribute herself, saying that she was “overwhelmed by grief”.

“This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil,” the Grammy-winning artist wrote on Instagram.

In 2020, Swift officially endorsed Biden’s bid for presidency, which saw him succeed Donald Trump.

“I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election,” the 33-year-old told V magazine. “Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.”

This September, the pop star drove record-breaking numbers to voter registration website Vote.org after urging her 232 million followers on Instagram to take action.

Swift first broke her political silence in 2018 to endorse Democratic candidates and urge fans to vote. Her political outspokenness came after she had previously faced criticism for not engaging in major political moments in the US, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2016 presidential election.

In a 2021 interview with Vanity Fair, she credited the Trump presidency with pushing her to publicly endorse the Democrats.