During an interview with Hugh Hewitt, the radio host asked Suarez whether he would make the Uyghur genocide a part of his campaign platform or if the Republican candidate would take a firm stance on the matter. However, Suarez’s response prompted more questions than answers.“What — the what?” Suarez responded. “What’s a Uyghur?”2024 GOP presidential candidate Francis Suarez: “What's a Uyghur?” pic.twitter.
The comment comes as the U.S. government, as well as several other countries, have denounced China’s oppression of its Uyghur population. Roughly 800,000 to 2 million Uyghurs have been detained by the country’s government since 2017, and the ethnic group is often subject to forced sterilization and sexual assault, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Suarez announced his candidacy for president earlier this month, entering an already crowded field of candidates seeking the GOP nomination. Suarez serves as the mayor of Miami, making him the third candidate from Florida to enter the GOP field alongside former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.