Amy Klobuchar offered an excuse on why she couldn’t name the Mexican president in an interview with Telemundo, clapping back at Pete Buttigieg, who has turned her blunder into a punchline on the campaign trail.
“I would say to the mayor: This isn’t like a game of Jeopardy! This is about, to me, experience. And I have so much respect for him and his experience, but my experience is different,” the Minnesota senator said Tuesday night during a CNN town hall.
In CNN town hall, Klobuchar calls him “Andre” instead of “Andrés”
Also responds to Pete’s needling of her about it by saying “this isn’t like a game of Jeopardy.” pic.twitter.com/0HBNQJk1b0— Alex Thompson (@AlxThomp) February 19, 2020
Klobuchar, along with rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination Tom Steyer, made the faux pas last week when she sat down with Telemundo, an American Spanish-language TV network, ahead of Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, the first contest where an influential number of Latinos will be part of the primary process.
Buttigieg over the weekend was asked about the hiccup by comedian-turned-supporter Keegan-Michael Key during a stop in Henderson, Nevada.
“What does it say about Washington experience that a sitting U.S. senator could not name Mexico’s president?” Key asked.
Buttigieg responded: “Guess what it says is that there is more to being prepared than how many years you spent in Washington.”
On Tuesday, Klobuchar, who is trying to capitalize on stronger than expected finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, added that “for what it’s worth” her mistake could be chalked up to her being in the Senate “all day” before flying to the first-in-the-West state for the interview and two public forums.
“First of all, I would like to give my greetings to president Andre. Manuel. Lopez. Obrador. The president of Mexico,” she said, mispronouncing “Andres” as “Andre.”
