"Late Show" host Stephen Colbert on Thursday detailed Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson's "Aleppo moment" during his town hall interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews this week.
Johnson struggled to name a current foreign leader he admired before eventually settling on Vincente Fox, the former president of Mexico, but couldn't remember his name. His running mate, former Massachusetts Governor William Weld, eventually fed Johnson the correct name. Johnson categorized the blip as another "Aleppo moment," referring to an interview earlier this month on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," in which he appeared to not know even that Aleppo is a war-torn city in Syria, not to mention its importance in the country's refugee crisis.
"That is clearly an Aleppo moment," Colbert responded. "Because bombing that bad should be a war crime."
"No surprise Johnson is polling at nearly 37 percent among military service members," he added. "Because if the president doesn't know about Syria, there's no way he's sending you there."
Colbert also noted Johnson's truly bizarre behavior, like the time he gave an interview while biting his tongue.
"Libertarians have long been waiting for a smart, respectable candidate to represent their values," Colbert said. "And the wait continues."
For instance: Johnson's "long-term solution to global warming is that, 'We do have to inhabit other planets,'" Colbert explained, citing his interview with ABC's "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos. "I believe Gary Johnson already does."
"Obviously Gary Johnson's ignorance, crazy ideas, and strange tongue exercises make him the most laughable candidate out there," he added. "Or it should."
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