Story highlights Gary Johnson wants government out of people's lives

The Libertarian nominee said he would end the drone war

Washington (CNN) Wearing a pair of black Nike running shoes -- "symbolic of getting away from the imperial presidency" -- Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson on Tuesday pitched a "socially liberally, fiscally conservative" brand of politics while throwing some sharp elbows at Donald Trump.

In an interview on CNN's "New Day," Johnson laid out his political agenda for the "tens of millions of Americans who have no idea what it is to be a Libertarian."

"How about the best of both worlds? The notion of being fiscally conservative and socially liberal -- the notion that smaller government is something that really is desirable, that government taxes too much...look, [I] always come down on the side of people being able to make their own choices in their own lives, as long as those choices don't adversely affect others," Johnson said.

The former New Mexico governor, who was nominated this weekend and will have former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld as his running mate, also responded to doubts host CNN's Chris Cuomo raised about the appeal of so-called Rockefeller Republicans in an increasingly polarized political environment.

Read More