He recovered reasonably well, apparently, but that’s not as good a
story. The AP followup:
8:31 a.m.
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson now knows what Aleppo is.
He was asked Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” what he would do as
president about the Syrian city at the center of the refugee crisis,
Johnson replied, “And what is Aleppo?”
Replied questioner Mike Barnicle, “You’re kidding me.” Johnson said no,
he wasn’t kidding. Barnicle then began to explain. When he got to the
refugee crisis, Johnson interrupted him, saying, “Okay, got it.”
The former governor of New Mexico added that Syria is “a mess” and “the
only way we deal with Syria is to join hands with Russia to
diplomatically bring that (to) an end.”
10:53 a.m.
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson says he “blanked” when
he was asked about the name of Syria’s largest city.
Johnson said in a statement that he thought Aleppo was an acronym when
asked about it on the television show “Morning Joe” Thursday morning.
Johnson responded, “What is Aleppo?” That response quickly went viral.
Johnson said in his statement that he “blanked,” and added, “It happens
and it will happen again during the course of this campaign.”
Johnson is in the midst of a media blitz in New York City as he tries to
reach 15 percent in national polls. That’s the threshold needed for him
to have a spot in the first presidential debate on Sept. 26.