Democratic presidential hopefuls Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer were stumped when asked during a televised interview in Nevada to name the Mexican president.

Klobuchar, Steyer and fellow 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg were asked during one-on-one interviews with the Spanish-language station Telemundo on Thursday night whether they knew the name of the president of Mexico. It is Andrés Manuel López Obrador — known by his initials, AMLO — who took office in December 2018.

Klobuchar, a third-term senator from Minnesota, responded, “No.”

Steyer, a billionaire businessman, replied, “I forgot.”


Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., was the only one of the three who knew the answer. “López Obrador, I hope,” he said with a smile.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador was inaugurated as Mexico’s president in December 2018. (Marco Ugarte / Associated Press)

The interviews occurred after a candidate forum hosted by the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization. Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Steyer were the only 2020 candidates to attend. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders addressed the audience via video.

Nevada has a large immigrant population, and Latinos are a crucial constituency for Democrats. The state will be the third to weigh in on the Democratic presidential nomination when it holds its caucuses Feb. 22.