AP Photo 7 gaffes that helped doom Scott Walker

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's dramatic fall from the very top of the 2016 Republican primary field was due, in part, to a series of painful verbal stumbles along the way. Here are the top seven gaffes that helped sink Walker fast.

1. Mazel tov

In December, a letter surfaced where Walker had made an unforced error responding to a Jewish constituent by writing "thank you again and Molotov." Walker meant Mazel tov.


2. The Europe curse

In February, Walker made things tougher for himself when, during a trip to Europe, he refused to answer questions on foreign policy.

"I just think for me, commenting on foreign policy, or in this case economic policy, in a country where you're a visitor is not the politest," Walker said while visiting the prestigious Chatham House think tank in London.

He also refused to say whether he believed in evolution. "I'm here to talk about trade, not to pontificate on other issues. I love the evolution of trade in Wisconsin and I'd like to see an even bigger evolution as well," Walker told BBC journalist Justin Webb.

3. Won't say if Obama loves America

After Rudy Giuliani, at a private event held for Walker, said he didn't think President Obama loves America, Walker was asked if he agreed with the former New York mayor — and the governor wouldn't say one way or the other.

"I'm not going to comment on what the President thinks or not," Walker said during an interview on CNBC. "He can speak for himself."





4. Unions are just like ISIS

One of Walker's biggest challenges was to establish himself as credible on foreign policy. Despite studying intensely with a rotating cast of GOP wonks, he stretched a bit too far during the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February, when he said that fighting union protesters in his home state showed he could defeat the Islamic State.

"If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world," Walker said.



5. Firing the air traffic controllers defeated the Soviets

It didn't take long for Walker to make another foreign policy gaffe. Days later at a Club for Growth cattle call in Palm Beach, Florida, he said the "most significant foreign policy decision of my lifetime" was President Ronald Reagan decision to break an air traffic controllers' strike in 1981 by firing roughly 11,000 of them.

"It sent a message not only across America, it sent a message around the world," the Wisconsin governor said.

6. The Wall

In late August, during an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, Walker said he had "legitimate concerns" about beefing up border security not just along the border with Mexico but also the Canadian border, saying he'd been asked about that in New Hampshire. Todd asked if Walker would consider building a wall along America's 4,000-mile northern border — and Walker didn't laugh it off, as another candidate might have.

"They have raised some very legitimate concerns, including some law enforcement folks that brought that up to me at one of our hall meetings about a week and a half ago. So that's a legitimate issue for us to look at," Walker said. He was quickly mocked, and his communications staff had to clean up after him the next day.

7. When 'yeah' doesn't mean 'yes'

Walker was hounded by questions about birthright citizenship after he was asked in mid-August whether he agreed with Donald Trump that the children of illegal immigrants who were born on American soil should be deported. "Yeah, to me it's about enforcing the laws in this country," Walker said — reverting to his verbal tic of saying "yeah" without necessarily meaning agreement. "And I've been very clear: I think you enforce the laws, and I think it's important to send a message that we're going to enforce the laws, no matter how people come here we're going to enforce the laws."

Walker did himself no favors when, during a later interview on CNBC, he said "I'm not taking a position one way or the other" on the issue. His aides once again tried to clean up the error, but the damage was done — and the governor cemented his image as a candidate whose finger was constantly in the wind.