President Joe Biden made pop culture references in a recent speech, though it seems like he might need a refresher on trending topics.
On Nov. 20, which also happened to be the president’s 81st birthday, Biden participated in the White House’s annual turkey pardoning ceremony.
While pardoning two turkeys, named Liberty and Bell, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the 46th president name-dropped a few prominent celebrities.
But his quip was overshadowed by its delivery, as he appeared to accidentally mix up Taylor Swift and Britney Spears.
“Just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds and competition. They had to work hard, to show patience, and be willing to travel over 1,000 miles,” he said in a clip from his remarks shared by NBC News on Instagram.
He continued, “You could say it’s even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or, or Britney’s tour. She’s down … it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.”
Biden appeared to be referencing Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” and Swift’s “Eras Tour,” currently in Rio de Janeiro, but accidentally mentioned the “Oops! ... I Did It Again” singer, who recently released a memoir.
Biden didn’t let the blunder slow him down and continued to crack jokes throughout his speech, according to NBC News.
“As much of you know, it’s difficult turning 60,” he said, poking fun at his age.
He added of the turkey pardon tradition, “This is the 76th anniversary of this event. I want you to know I wasn’t there, and I was too young to make it up.”
His nod to the “Eras Tour” came days after the pop star’s string of Latin America concerts made headlines.
Swift had to cancel her Nov. 10 concert in Buenos Aires due to poor weather conditions. The date was rescheduled to Nov. 12.
The "Eras Tour" Rio de Janeiro stop was marred by tragedy: A 23-year-old fan died before Swift’s show on Nov. 17. amid extreme heat. Time4Fun, the organizer for the concert, identified the fan as Ana Clara Benevides Machado on Instagram the following day.
“Last night, Ana Clara felt unwell and was promptly attended to by the team of firefighters and paramedics, being taken to the medical center at the Nilton Santos Stadium for first aid protocol,” Time4Fun said in a statement, translated by NBC News.
Swift also mourned Machado’s death in a statement shared to her Instagram Story, saying, “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. 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 so incredibly beautiful and far too young.”
She said she was not going to address the death on stage because she felt “overwhelmed by grief.”
“I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil,” she concluded.
Her second performance in the Brazilian city, which was scheduled for Nov. 18, was postponed due to “extreme temperatures.”
The Grammy-winner shared an update about the concert on her Instagram story hours before the show was supposed to begin.
“I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium,” she said. “The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
The “Lavender Haze” singer is expected to take the stage for the rescheduled date on Nov. 20.