Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson is in full damage control mode after he embarrassingly asked Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle, “what is Aleppo?” when questioned on what he would do about the besieged Syrian city. Johnson now says he thought Aleppo might have been an acronym. “This morning, I began my day by setting aside any doubt that I’m human,” Johnson acknowledged in a statement to The Daily Beast. “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.” Johnson also acknowledged that he should have been able to identify Aleppo, adding that he understands its significance in the Syrian conflict.

—Asawin Suebsaeng