DENVER (AP) – If it was greater attention Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson wanted, he got it – but probably not the kind he wanted.
As part of a media blitz in New York to try to raise his polling numbers enough to qualify for the upcoming presidential debate, Johnson fielded a range of questions Thursday with the aim of demonstrating he can take on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. But one very pressing question stumped him.
“What would you do about Aleppo?” Johnson was asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday, referring to Syria’s largest city, which has been engulfed by the country’s ongoing civil war.
“What is Aleppo?” Johnson responded.
Syria’s 2011 pro-democracy uprising, which gradually devolved into civil war, has sparked a refugee crisis across the Middle East and Europe as millions fled their homes for safety. When reminded by MSNBC on Thursday, Johnson said he’d work with Russia to find a diplomatic solution to the civil war and that the conflict was an example of the dangers of meddling in the region. Many have criticized Barack Obama’s administration for doing too little, particularly after a failed promise that the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government represented the ultimate “red line,” and would prompt intervention.