22 Times The 2016 Presidential Election Was A Dumpster Fire

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19. “I’m Having An Aleppo Moment”

If this election has proved anything, it’s that the standards for running for president aren’t actually very high. Aside from being older than your mid-30s and a natural-born citizen of the U.S., there are few limits to putting your name forward. However, one unspoken limit is having basic knowledge of current events. At the very least, those which concern domestic and foreign policy. But Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson proves that you can keep on campaigning without that.

As concerns grow about the conflict in Syria, the next move for the U.S. has been a hot button topic during the election. While there are several areas under siege, Aleppo the city of Aleppo is generally thought to be the centre of the war. But when asked by MSNBC about what actions he’d take there, Johnson responded, “What is Aleppo?” With further prompting, he had a response, but it’s a moment which continues to reflect poorly on him.

Even if third-party supporters were able to forget this incident, it’s hard to forget it a second time. When asked about a favourite foreign leader, Johnson again drew a blank. Some might argue that his Libertarian values might prevent him choosing one, but Johnson’s own words seem to negate this. “I’m having an Aleppo moment,” he replied. Only his running mate was able to pull him out of this awkward situation. It’s one thing to acknowledge your shortcomings, but another thing to remind the public that a man who aims to be president seems lost to the world around him.