United States Presidential candidate Gary Johnson recently had another embarrassing moment on live television when he sat down with MSNBC reporter Chris Matthews for an interview. Johnson was ridiculed for not being familiar with Aleppo, the heart of the Syrian refugee crisis, just a week prior to the interview with Matthews, a gaffe that many claim disqualified him for the nation’s highest office.
Johnson had managed to do some damage control following the previous disaster, but the Libertarian is in hot water again after he was unable to name a single foreign leader that he respects. The question posed by Matthews stumped Johnson to the extent that he himself said “I guess I’m having another Aleppo moment.” After awkward moments of silence and being pressed on the issue, Johnson finally blurted “the former leader of Mexico” as his response. He was unable to recall President Vicente Fox’s name, however.
This time around, Johnson’s running mate William Weld tried to jump in and save the day. He offered up Shimon Peres as someone he respected, but Matthews was quick in his response to ask for a world leader that was still alive. It was Weld that finally came up with the name of Vicente Fox.
In an election year that has been dominated by the antics of GOP nominee, Donald J. Trump, Johnson has raised the hilarity of this election cycle to a whole new level with his repeated demonstrations that he lacks knowledge that is common to a fifth-grade student. While Johnson’s lack of knowledge is disturbing, perhaps the reason it isn’t garnering as much media play is that ignorance isn’t scandalous. The public seems far more concerned with Trump’s comments about women and Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails than it is with the fact that someone who apparently knows little about the world was able to make it on the presidential ballot.
Perhaps the public doesn’t care because they realize Johnson has no hope of winning in November. The latest polls have him at 12%, far below the two main candidates. One has to wonder, however, how these mistakes will affect Johnson if he continues his life as a politician.