Biden quips about his age while pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys on his birthday

President Biden made a few jokes about his age while pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys at the White House, an annual tradition that fell on his 81st birthday.

He thanked the chair of the National Turkey Federation and said when he met him and his family earlier, they sang “Happy Birthday” to the president. Then, he joked he was only turning 60 years old.

“I just want you to know it’s difficult turning 60. Difficult,” he said.

The president also noted it’s the 76th anniversary of this decades-long tradition at the White House.

“I want you to know I wasn’t there the first one; I was too young to make it up,” he said.

The turkeys, Liberty and Bell, appeared on stage with the president. Biden said the two birds, who are from Minnesota, love Honeycrisp apples, ice hockey, the state’s thousand lakes and the Mall of America.

Biden said they had to beat some tough odds to make it to the White House, suggesting it’s harder to get tickets to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour or to Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour,” but he called her Britney, perhaps confusing Swift with Britney Spears.

“They had to work hard to show patience and be willing to travel over a thousand miles,” Biden said. “You could say it’s even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or — or Britney’s tour. She’s down in — it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.”

Swift held concerts in Brazil over the weekend, during extreme temperatures in Rio. One attendee died Friday night as a result of the heat, and a show was then delayed.

Biden has increasingly made quips about his age during speeches. The president is running for reelection next year and if he wins, he would be 86 at the end of a second term.

He has faced criticism and growing concern over his age since his 2020 campaign, and this criticism has continued throughout his time in the White House.

Some Democrats have suggested Biden’s age makes him “too old” to run for reelection next year. The president and the White House have argued it is fair for voters to discuss his age, but he has said they should judge him on his ability to perform the job.