Call it a brain freeze or another “Aleppo moment,” but Gary Johnson has stumbled again in his quixotic presidential campaign.
The third-party candidate, in a television appearance Wednesday, was unable to produce the name of a single foreign leader he respected. Prodded to come up with something, he finally settled on a former president of Mexico — but couldn’t recall his name.
“I guess I’m having an Aleppo moment,” Johnson said, referencing an episode earlier this month in which he was ridiculed after he came up blank when questioned about the besieged city that has become a focal point of Syria’s civil war.
Johnson’s latest misstep played out during an extraordinary and awkward 50 seconds of live television on MSNBC, where Johnson and running mate William Weld were appearing in a town hall. Host Chris Matthews ticked through a list of regions, hoping to jog the Libertarian Party candidate’s memories, but to no avail.
“You’ve got to do this,” Matthews said. “Anywhere, any continent: Canada, Mexico, Europe, over there, Asia, South America, Africa. Name a foreign leader that you respect.”
Johnson hung his head slightly — “I’m having a brain freeze” — before Weld came to his rescue, offering the names of three former Mexican presidents. Johnson settled quickly on Vicente Fox, calling him “terrific” before Weld named his own favorite foreign leader: German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
As the slip-up ricocheted on social media, Johnson took to Twitter on Thursday in an apparent attempt to poke a bit of fun at himself.
“It’s been almost 24 hours,” Johnson wrote, “and I still can’t come up with a foreign leader I look up to.”
Johnson’s candidacy has attracted interest from members of both major parties who say they’re dismayed about their choices this year of Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton. Still, Johnson has been polling in the single digits — most voters say they don’t know who he is — and his struggles on foreign policy haven’t helped his image.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Not quite ready for primetime!!!!!!!!
I’LL JUST SAY THIS ABOUT GARY: HE IS COMIC & UNFIT FOR THE PRESIDENCY,
He knows he can’t win. He’s just there to steal votes from Trump.
Here goes the media again! The article here states Johnson couldn’t name one foreign leader. The actual story was to name a foreign leader he thought highly of. Big difference between the two stories. Media don’t care!
Anyone that admires Merkel, and the MESS she has gotten those poor people into, is a COMPLETE MORON. And of course- hiLIARy is one of those morons!!
That ought to make anyone that is paying attention WAKE UP.
but then, if your whole day is spent driving to and from the dispensary – on your bicycles- due to too many DUI’s it’s no wonder so many people are BRAIN DEAD!!!!
Trump/Pence!!!!!!!!!
Anyone who votes for Gary Johnson is making a big mistake. This guy has no idea what he is doing. We’ve spent the last eight years with an incompetent president. We don’t need to extend that by electing this clown.
trump the only non career public servant will make America great again.
Not taking his side, but the question was to name a lead he ADMIRED. That’s the rub. Other than Netanyahu, who could he possibly name that is in office now?
Gary Johnson doesn’t care. He will just go hit the pipe tonight and sing “don’t worry, -about a thing. Every little thing,gonna be alright”
I’m a Libertarian. I’ve BEEN a Libertarian longer than Johnson and I have NEVER seen a poorer choice for the Libertarian Party than Johnson is. He keeps this up much longer and I’m not going to vote period.
Johnson’ moment is nothing compared with the gaffes of trump in the dabates. Trump is train wreck.
Awe, poor Gary, who knows nothing and spouts nothing. Gaffe’s. Trump always knows what he is saying and that is part of the deal which you have no clue about. Hillary knows absolutely nothing either but is a robot on drugs to even function part of the time. So, Gary, you have a choice freedom and America via Trump or lose it all via Hillary because no one else out there could even begin to win because they don’t have the smarts! and especially not Johnson, or Kasich, etc., etc. Wake up, little one, and get informed.
The sad part is that some Libertarians think he is great and not understanding he is for 73% of Bernie’s socialism, he is known to have taken drugs (and now, maybe), is not liked by real citizens in his state, and obviously not presidential material as he knows nothing about important things in today’s world. Is he spaced out? Who knows?
This is exactly the problem with the US today. It wants to participate in globalization and international trade & finance and yet even its educated citizens remain insular and myopic and do not know much about anything outside the US. They need to learn much more about global cultures, religions, leaders, laws, etc. if they want to become grate again. For God’s sake, if 86% of Americans cannot name the Prime Minister of Canada and the capital of Canada – its large neighbor to the North then there is truly a knowledge deficit in the US. And, if Americans are relying on an ignoramus like Trump, who has demonstrated that he doesn’t know the difference between ISIL and the Taliban, has very poor knowledge of the world’s second largest religion, Islam, also knows very little about its immediate neighbor Mexico, then I feel sorry for the Americans…