Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar was grilled late last week in an interview with Telemundo over her lack of knowledge on Mexico.
Telemundo’s Guadalupe Venegas interviewed Klobuchar on Friday and pressed her on her knowledge of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, also known as AMLO.
After several moments of trying to dodge questions, Klobuchar admitted that she didn’t even know who he was.
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
GUADALUPE VENEGAS: Mexico is our neighbor to the south. Trump has decided not to visit Mexico. There’s a lot going on there between Trump and the Mexican community.
AMY KLOBUCHAR: Yes.
VENEGAS: What do you know about the Mexican president?
KLOBUCHAR: Okay. Well, what I will tell you is that I will visit Mexico in the first 100 years- 100 days. I will visit there.
VENEGAS: You are running for president. You would like to be the Democratic candidate.
KLOBUCHAR: Yeah.
VENEGAS: What do you know about the Mexican president now?
KLOBUCHAR: Uh, well, I know that he is elected in the last few years. I don’t know him personally. I’ve met with the ambassador and I was actually supportive of the trade agreement, so I worked with the embassy on that. They came to meet with me-
VENEGAS: Do you know, and I ask because it’s so important especially in Nevada, California, Arizona, Texas – this is our neighbor to the south.
KLOBUCHAR: Yeah.
VENEGAS: Do you know anything about him? Specifically his politics, what he’s doing? Since this would be the country you would share a border with? Anything you can tell me about him?
KLOBUCHAR: Um, well, I just, I know that they are our neighbors and regardless of who the leader is, that it is someone that I will work with.
VENEGAS: Do you, I’m sorry to ask this, but do you know who he is? Do you know his name?
KLOBUCHAR: Yeah, yeah- I know that he is the Mexican president.
VENEGAS: But can you tell me his name?
KLOBUCHAR: No.
VENEGAS: Don’t you think it would be important if you’re running for president to know who the president of Mexico, the country to the south of the United States is?
KLOBUCHAR: Yes.
VENEGAS: Because it affects so many Americans. Mexican Americans are the largest Hispanic — the largest number of Hispanics in the US are Mexican-Americans.
KLOBUCHAR: Of course it is, yes.
VENEGAS: Is there anything specifically you can tell me that you do know about Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador or what he’s doing in Mexico that has a direct effect on all of our border communities?
KLOBUCHAR: Well, what I do know is that we have had issues of course, with asylum and people coming up. I actually visited Mexico under the previous president and went there and led a delegation there to work on human trafficking. And I met with the attorney general at the time and we had a very positive meeting. So I didn’t meet with the president. I met with the attorney general.
VENEGAS: OK.
KLOBUCHAR: And then I also, um — if I could finish — and I also have been very supportive of the USMCA trade agreement. I’ve also been very supportive of trying to work on the asylum cases and the like.
VENEGAS: We have limited time, just one final question. How do you plan to win the support of the Hispanic vote in Nevada and the whole southwest if you can’t tell me who the president of Mexico is? Who is our neighbor to the south and has a direct impact on our communities for a number of reasons that I’m sure you know.
KLOBUCHAR: Because my heart is with the people of this country and my heart is with immigrants and I have a strong track record of working with immigrants.