Libertarian Gary Johnson Admits Past Ignorance On 'Black Lives Matter' During Town Hall
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson may have turned some heads on Wednesday night.
The former two-term New Mexico Governor did something that politicians are not often known for -- he admitted that he made a mistake.
Johnson and running mate Bill Weld -- a former Massachusetts Governor -- appeared in a second Libertarian town hall on CNN, Wednesday.
When Shetamaia Taylor -- who was wounded during the ambush at a rally against police violence in Dallas -- asked Johnson about his stance on the Black Lives Matter movement, the candidate said he had his 'head in the sand.'
"What it has done for me is that my head's been in the sand on this," he said. "I think we've all had our heads in the sand. And let's wake up. This discrimination does exist, it has existed, and for me, personally, slap, slap, wake up."
Weld concurred, calling the situation facing young black men a 'national emergency.'
"Their educational opportunities are not there. We have to get them into education and just concentrate the power of the government, trying to make sure that there are jobs available for them. It's a national emergency and when there's a national emergency, the government has to respond, libertarian or no libertarian," he said.
Johnson and Weld spent time fielding questions about the issues, but also weighed in on the election and the other candidates.
Johnson took on Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan.
"I don't think America has ever been better," he said.
Weld didn't mince words.
"He's a showman. He's a pied piper. He's the music man," Weld said "More recently, it's gotten more serious, and the noun that comes to my mind is a 'screw loose."
Johnson wouldn't hold back when discussing the Democratic nominee either.
"I totally get it," he said, when asked why some voters find Hillary Clinton untrustworthy.
"It's just not coincidence, I don't think, that Bill Clinton and Hillary both are making huge amounts of money with these speaking fees," Johnson added.
He also took aim at Clinton's platform which is at odds with Johnson's fiscally conservative approach to government.
"Was there anything that she didn't promise to anyone in her acceptance speech?" he said.
The town hall gave Johnson and Weld an opportunity to better lay out their platform for voters who may not be familiar with it.
Johnson veered from what some see as the traditional Libertarian path saying he would not allow discrimination based on religious objection.
"I fear that under the guise of religious liberty, the LGBT community is being discriminated against," Johnson said. "I don't want to support discrimination in any form whatsoever."
Johnson -- who has admitted to marijuana use and has served as the CEO of a legal pot company -- called for marijuana to be de-scheduled as a Class 1 drug.
"What we need to do is de-schedule Marijuana as a Class 1 narcotic. There needs to be research and development on marijuana, and in no way are we supporting kids being able to use marijuana," he said.
Johnson and Weld are currently trying to land a spot on the presidential debate stage alongside Trump and Clinton. To do so they will need to poll at 15 percent.