Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar admitted throughout Wednesday evening’s Democratic debate that she couldn’t identify the Mexican president when pre
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar admitted throughout Wednesday evening’s Democratic debate that she couldn’t identify the Mexican president when pressed by a reporter from Telemundo final week — a slip-up that South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg used to query her general {qualifications} for workplace.
On February 13, Telemundo reporter Guadalupe Venegas requested Klobuchar, “Who’s the president of Mexico?” after a candidate discussion board forward of the Nevada caucuses.
It was a well timed query on condition that about 78 % of Nevada’s nearly 800,000 Latinos are of Mexican origin. However a flustered Klobuchar, who sits on the Senate committees that oversee trade with Mexico and border security, couldn’t give you his identify even after Venegas pressed her twice extra.
For the document, his identify is President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in any other case often known as AMLO. And since he’s taken workplace in December 2018, he’s turn into considered one of Mexico’s most popular presidents in current reminiscence, regardless of a record-high murder fee and bowing to President Donald Trump’s calls for that he step up immigration enforcement on the nation’s southern border with Guatemala.
When requested in regards to the interview once more on Wednesday evening, Klobuchar chalked it as much as a lapse of reminiscence.
“I don’t assume that that momentary forgetfulness really displays what I find out about Mexico and the way a lot I care about it,” Klobuchar mentioned. “I mentioned that I made an error. I believe having a president that perhaps is humble and is ready to admit that right here and there perhaps wouldn’t be a nasty factor.”
However Buttigieg mentioned that the identify of the chief of America’s southern neighbor is a chunk of data any candidate ought to know, particularly one who touts their “Washington expertise.” (Venegas requested the identical query of Buttigieg, and he named AMLO.)
“You’re staking your candidacy in your Washington expertise,” Buttigieg informed Klobuchar on the controversy stage. “You’re on the committee that oversees border safety. You’re on the committee that does commerce. You’re actually a part of the committee that’s overseeing these items. And you weren’t in a position to communicate to actually the very first thing in regards to the politics of the nation to our south?”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren got here to Klobuchar’s protection, claiming that it’s comprehensible she would possibly momentarily neglect a reputation, however that if she will’t reply questions on US commerce coverage with Mexico, she “must be held accountable.”
In an effort to indicate simply how a lot she is aware of about Mexican overseas coverage, Klobuchar tried to pivot to how she and Buttigieg really differ: He would classify Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, as Trump has previously suggested, whereas she wouldn’t.
The US authorities has already designated some cartels as “transnational legal organizations.” Reclassifying them as terrorist organizations would give the US further authority to challenge sanctions towards those that assist the teams, forestall their members from getting into the US, and deport those that have already reached American soil. It will additionally pave the way in which for the US to ship active-duty troops to Mexico to have interaction in counterterrorism operations.
However it might additionally undermine cooperation with Mexican forces in combating the cartels and escalate tensions between the 2 governments.
“That may be a very legitimate debate to have,” Klobuchar mentioned to Buttigieg. “I don’t assume that might be good for our safety coordination with Mexico, and I believe you bought that fallacious.”