US Green Party candidate gaffes ‘world leaders’
Jill Stein tries to ridicule flub by Libertarian opponent Gary Johnson, but names three non-heads of government
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein found herself running for the White House with her foot in her mouth Thursday after she tried to list three world leaders she admires — and blundered her way through a trio of politicians who aren’t heads of government.
Stein was aiming to poke fun at her Libertarian rival Gary Johnson who, when asked during an MSNBC interview a day earlier to name a world leader he admires, fumbled giving a clear answer and eventually admitted he was having “an Aleppo moment” — a reference to a earlier occasion when he failed to recognize the headline-grabbing Syrian city that has seen some of the heaviest fighting in the country’s five-year-old conflict.
In a post to her Twitter feed Stein wrote, “Here are a few of my favorite leaders:” and then identified Canadian Elizabeth May, Brazil’s João Stédile and Britain’s Jeremy Corbyn.
May is a member of the Canadian House of Commons, but is not prime minister; Stédile is a member of Brazil’s Landless Rural Workers Movement, not president of the country; and Corbyn is the leader of the UK Labour Party, which currently occupies the opposition benches.
Here are a few of my favorite leaders: @ElizabethMay, João Stédile of @MST_Oficial and @jeremycorbyn. #AleppoMoment
— Dr. Jill Stein???? (@DrJillStein) September 29, 2016
During an interview with MSNBC three weeks ago, Johnson was asked what he would do about Aleppo if elected president.
Johnson replied, “What is Aleppo?”
Only after the incredulous MSNBC interviewer Mike Barnicle clued him in did the Libertarian candidate offer his policy prescriptions for dealing with the Syrian war.
Neither Stein nor Johnson are polling in double figures and both were excluded from the first presidential debate this week, though they can each serve as spoilers for Democrat Hilary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump if the race is close.
