Biden Confuses Swift with Spears Again... Sparks 'Goryeong' Controversy

On His 81st Birthday, "Turning 60 Wasn't Easy Either"
Joking About His Age Weakness to Face It Head-On

On his 81st birthday, U.S. President Joe Biden once again confused famous American pop singer Taylor Swift with Britney Spears.

Biden Mentions 'Harder to Get Britney Concert Tickets' at Turkey Pardon Event... Seems to Confuse Swift

Pop star Taylor Swift passionately performed on stage during the 'Eras Tour' in Inglewood, California, USA, on August 7 (local time). [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

On the 20th (local time), President Biden hosted the annual 'Turkey Pardon' event in the South Lawn of the White House ahead of Thanksgiving.

He said that the turkeys had to go through fierce competition to get to the White House and mentioned that being selected for the pardon was "harder than getting tickets for the Renaissance tour or Britney's tour."

He added, "She is currently down in Brazil. Brazil is warm right now."

The "Renaissance" Biden first mentioned refers to Beyonc?'s tour. However, the second mention appears to refer to Taylor Swift, who recently performed in Brazil. It is presumed that President Biden confused Swift with Britney Spears, a popular pop singer from the late 1990s to early 2000s.

U.S. President Joe Biden is pardoning a turkey at the turkey pardon event held at the White House on the 20th.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

This is not the first time President Biden has made such a verbal slip. In June, he sparked controversy by saying "Russia is losing in the Iraq War," mistakenly referring to Ukraine as Iraq.

Also in the same month, during a speech, he suddenly seemed to look for the "Queen of England." Currently, there is no monarch referred to as queen in constitutional monarchies including the UK, as the late Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September last year.

In April, he mistakenly referred to South Korea as South America and corrected himself, and in a White House event last September, he called out the name of a deceased congressman who died in a traffic accident.

Some Republican figures have pointed out his frequent verbal slips and raised concerns about his "mental health."

"Turning 60 is Not Easy"... Attempts to Address Age Controversy with a Joke

President Biden also joked on the day, saying, "Turning 60 is not easy."

He mentioned that this year marks the 76th anniversary of the Turkey Pardon event and joked, "I want you to know I did not attend the first event," adding, "I'm too young to lie about that."

In the U.S., it is a tradition for the whole family to gather and eat roast turkey on Thanksgiving Day (November 23).

In 1947, then-President Harry Truman received a turkey from the Turkey Association as a gift for a meal. Then in 1963, President John F. Kennedy "pardoned" the turkey, saying "Let it live." Since then, it has become customary at the White House to release the gifted turkeys to a children's farm.

On this day, President Biden pardoned two turkeys named "Liberty" and "Bell."

He said the turkeys' names were derived from the "Liberty Bell," a symbol of the American independence movement kept in Philadelphia, and added, "The turkeys will newly resonate with the meaning of 'Let freedom ring.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.