--- title: Gary Johnson, 2016 Libertarian Candidate: What is Aleppo description: Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson answered a question on MSNBC's Morning Joe about Aleppo — the heart of the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis — with another question: "And what is Aleppo?" canonical: https://time.com/4483682/presidential-candidate-gary-johnson-asks-and-what-is-aleppo/ author: Julia Zorthian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-08T13:20:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T06:46:04.010Z article:section: Politics og:title: Gary Johnson, Presidential Candidate, Asks "What is Aleppo?" og:description: The Libertarian nominee was unfamiliar with a prominent center of Syria's war. og:url: https://time.com/4483682/presidential-candidate-gary-johnson-asks-and-what-is-aleppo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91a02c894849b129/6988a538fb4eacd44188f055/gary-johnson-what-is-aleppo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: gary johnson what is aleppo og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Gary Johnson, Presidential Candidate, Asks "What is Aleppo?" twitter:description: The Libertarian nominee was unfamiliar with a prominent center of Syria's war. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt91a02c894849b129/6988a538fb4eacd44188f055/gary-johnson-what-is-aleppo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson Asks 'And What is Aleppo?' > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=7c75195c-468e-445f-b856-a4119aed1883&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How Politicians Shouldn't Answer Questions [Watch (HLS stream): How Politicians Shouldn't Answer Questions](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nH4ePn2B.m3u8) (1:57)  _Published 2016-09-08. Watch politicians avoid answering tough questions throughout the years._  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Sep 8, 2016 1:20 PM UTC Watch politicians avoid answering tough questions throughout the years.  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Sep 8, 2016 1:20 PM UTC Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson answered a question on MSNBC’s _Morning Joe_ about Aleppo — the heart of the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis — with another question: “And what is Aleppo?” The presidential candidate revealed his unfamiliarity with the city when he appeared on the show Thursday morning. _Morning Joe_ panelist Mike Barnicle prompted the response when he asked the former New Mexico governor, “What would you do, if you were elected, about Aleppo?” > [](https://twitter.com/Morning%5FJoe/status/773851435477762048) When Johnson asked what Aleppo is, Barnicle seemed baffled. The exchange continued as follows: Barnicle: “You’re kidding.” Johnson: “No.” Barnicle: “Aleppo is in Syria. It’s the epicenter of the refugee crisis—” Johnson: “Okay got it, got it.” Barnicle: “Okay.” Johnson later said that he did know about Aleppo but misheard the question. In a statement, he said: “This morning, I began my day by setting aside any doubt that I’m human. Yes, I understand the dynamics of the Syrian conflict — I talk about them every day. But hit with ‘What about Aleppo?’, I immediately was thinking about an acronym, not the Syrian conflict. I blanked. It happens, and it will happen again during the course of this campaign. Can I name every city in Syria? No. Should I have identified Aleppo? Yes. Do I understand its significance? Yes. As Governor, there were many things I didn’t know off the top of my head. But I succeeded by surrounding myself with the right people, getting to the bottom of important issues, and making principled decisions. It worked. That is what a President must do.That would begin, clearly, with daily security briefings that, to me, will be fundamental to the job of being President.” Soon after, #WhatisAleppo began trending on Twitter, with many users shocked by (or making fun of) the presidential candidate’s basic question. > [](https://twitter.com/MargieOmero/status/773858294620385280) > [](https://twitter.com/LukeBrinker/status/773867006722465792) > [](https://twitter.com/AlecMacGillis/status/773863391400235008) > [](https://twitter.com/weezwrites/status/773851573059514368) > [](https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/773861363399753728) ## Transcript [00:00] And what is Aleppo? [00:04] You're kidding? No. Aleppo is in Syria. It's [00:09] the epicenter of the refuge crisis- Okay got it, [00:14] got it. [ MUSIC ] When [00:18] campaigning, you have a few options when faced with [00:20] a tough question. You can bluff, or change the subject. [00:24] One thing you can't do is simply not answer. Here are [00:27] a few examples of politicians who took that approach. [00:30] Why do you wanna be President? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:34] Well I'm- [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [00:37] So [00:39] you agreed with President Obama on Libya? Okay, [00:45] Libya. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] I've gotta go back, see. [00:49] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] I [00:53] do not agree with the way he handled it for the [00:55] following reasons. No, [00:59] that's a different one. What newspapers and [00:59] magazines? Scenes. Did you regularly read, before you [01:02] were tapped for this, to stay informed, and to [01:06] understand the world? I've read most of them. Again, [01:11] with a great appreciation for the press, for the media. [01:11] But what one specifically? I'm curious. Where you All [01:17] of them, any of them that have been in front of me [01:21] over all these years. Governor Chafee, you've attacked [01:23] Secretary Clinton for being too close to Wall Street [01:25] Banks. In 1999, you voted for the very bill that made [01:28] banks bigger. The Glass- Steagall was my very first [01:31] vote, I just arrived, my dad had died in office. I was [01:33] appointed to the office. It was my very first vote. Are [01:35] you saying you didn't know what you were voting I just [01:37] arrived at senate. I would do away with the education, [01:42] the- Commerce. Commerce. And [01:46] let's see. I can't. The third one I can't. Sorry. [ LAUGH ] [01:50] Oops. 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