On the international political scene, Joe Biden committed a major faux pas that erased 400 years of history and Switzerland’s well-known neutrality.
However, Biden was able to see his own error and made a self-ironic joke to try and make light of it.
CONFUSED BIDEN: President Biden couldn't remember whether it was Switzerland or Sweden that just joined NATO.
— Newsmax (@newsmax) July 1, 2022
It was Sweden… pic.twitter.com/hH8y5fZNc4
If the opposing side had taken Biden seriously, his mistakes may have precipitated global and/or nuclear warfare between the United States and China or Russia.
Most infamously, in April, while on a visit to Poland, Biden advocated for the overthrow of Putin and inadvertently suggested that US forces would go battle the Russians in Ukraine.
In addition, he has stated repeatedly that a battle between the United States and China over Taiwan is inevitable.
‼️🇨🇭🇺🇸🇸🇪Biden welcomed Switzerland's entry into NATO.
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZmilitary1) June 30, 2022
"Switzerland… Oh, I mean Sweden. I am very worried about the expansion of NATO," the president said.‼️ pic.twitter.com/c4GBYPvTa1
To avoid an outraged response from Russia or China in an already hostile international political and military climate, Biden’s White House staff swiftly withdrew and appropriately “clarified” his respective statements in both circumstances.
Following Putin’s homicidal assault on Ukraine, a fresh NATO expansion took place against the backdrop of Biden’s newest international diplomatic blunder.
Finland and Sweden, two new important European countries, have chosen to join NATO as official US allies.
Biden can't keep straight whether Switzerland or Sweden just joined NATO.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) June 30, 2022
This is the guy with the nuclear codes, by the way.
On Thursday, when addressing at a NATO conference in Spain, Joe Biden made a fresh error.
Sweden and Finland were being welcomed by Kabul Joe as soon-to-be-official NATO members and recognized US military partners. He confused Switzerland for Sweden at this point.
The 400 years of history during which Switzerland, located in the heart of Europe in the Alps, has been neutral and has refrained from getting involved in any foreign crises, were all but wiped by Biden’s mistake.
At #NATOSummit, Biden gets Switzerland mixed up with Sweden pic.twitter.com/mN5K5mq5SE
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 30, 2022
Since the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, the small but wealthy European country has maintained its neutrality. Although France violated her neutrality throughout the Napoleonic Wars (1798–1815), it was reinstated in 1815.
Biden mentioned a call with the head of Sweden in his speech at the NATO summit, but he really meant the leader of Switzerland.
In all fairness, he realized his error and changed it to Sweden. However, Biden was unable to even pull this off without cracking a pathetic-sounding self-ironic joke.
“Switzerland, my goodness!” Biden said, adding that he could be “getting really anxious about expanding NATO.”
