Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson is facing considerable criticism on Thursday after appearing unfamiliar with the Syrian city of Aleppo. So, maybe Johnson’s embarrassing mistake was not as bad as the current administration who does know about the carnage in Aleppo and who is doing nothing about it?
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The exchange sent the phrase “What is Aleppo” to Twitter’s worldwide trends list as the third-party candidate works to capitalize on the unpopularity of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. As the Washington Free Beacon’s David Rutz noted, the real de facto capital of ISIS is Raqqa, or Al-Raqqa.
So Aleppo isn’t just one site of tragedy among many in Syria.
Asked what he would do about the city of Aleppo, if elected, Libertarian Gary Johnson answered: “What is Aleppo?”.
He was asked on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” what he would do as president about the Syrian city at the center of the refugee crisis.
“Aleppo is in Syria”, Barnicle said. The interview asked if he was “kidding?”
Barnicle explains: “Aleppo is in Syria”.
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.
Mr. Johnson also said he thought the question was a fair one since he’s running for president.
However, this did not end the uncomfortable situation.
“Aleppo is the center of a lot of people’s concerns across the planet about the awful humanitarian crisis that is unfolding not only in Syria, but especially in Aleppo”. “And I understand the crisis that is going on”.
Information for this article was contributed by Mark Halperin and Margaret Talev of Bloomberg News; and by Nicholas Riccardi of The Associated Press.
“I think probably 85 percent of the people couldn’t put Allepo on the map”, he said.
Johnson reportedly said after the interview that he was “incredibly frustrated” with himself. “I am talking about that everyday”. And when I heard the question Aleppo, I’m thinking in terms of acronym – what does that stand for? “It’s what they do for a living”, Weld said. “With regard to Syria, I do think that it’s a mess”. Do I understand its significance? Yes.
During the interview, Johnson also talked at length about the Libertarian philosophy of dialing back American troop commitments around the world, and about his call to abolish the IRS and do away with income taxes.
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Karpowitz said Romney is a respected voice in Utah but the tweet may not give Johnson much of a boost.
