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Scarborough rips Johnson after MSNBC interview

by Jesse Byrnes - 09/08/16 8:40 AM ET

The #morningjoe panel reacts to Gary Johnson's stunning question: What is Aleppo? https://t.co/PTrT5SdFj6

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) September 8, 2016

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Thursday wasted no time in ripping Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson’s response to a question about Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

“What is Aleppo?” Johnson asked minutes into his interview, visibly shocking “Morning Joe” panelists seated at the table

{mosads}Scarborough, who appeared on camera remotely, immediately slammed Johnson.

“So, Aleppo is the center of a lot of people’s concerns across the planet about the terrible humanitarian crisis that is unfolding, not only in Syria, but especially in Aleppo,” Scarborough said.

“You asked, ‘What is Aleppo?’ Do you really think that foreign policy is so insignificant that somebody running for president of the United States shouldn’t even know what Aleppo is, where Aleppo is, why Aleppo is so important?” Scarborough asked.

“No, I do understand Aleppo and I understand the crisis that is going on,” Johnson insisted, pivoting to speak about avoiding military involvement in the crisis.

What is Aleppo???

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) September 8, 2016

“My god, can you believe it?” Scarborough asked co-host Mika Brzezinski after the commercial break, calling Johnson’s initial answer on Aleppo “stunning.”

Scarborough, who has feuded with GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in recent months, blasted Johnson as “so ignorant on foreign policy to ask, ‘What is Aleppo?’ on national television.”

He also questioned how Mitt Romney is feeling following the interview, which came hours after the 2012 Republican nominee called for Johnson to be included in the presidential debates.

Scarborough wrapped up the show Thursday by calling Johnson “unqualified to be president of the United States,” arguing the presidential candidate disqualified himself during the program.

Panelist Mike Barnicle ripped Johnson for an “appalling lack of knowledge” about the war-torn Syrian city, which has been of focus during the refugee crisis and the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

During his interview, Johnson told MSNBC that Syria is “a mess,” arguing the U.S. should “join hands with Russia” to find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing civil war.

This report was updated at 9:13 a.m.

Tags 2016 presidential election Donald Trump Gary Johnson