WASHINGTON — 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 when he came up blank when questioned about the besieged city that has become a focal point of Syria’s civil war.
Johnson’s 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.
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