‘What’s a Uyghur?’ Miami’s mayor says he knows the answer, but misheard the question

Needing to elevate his national profile and facing questions about his qualifications to be the leader of the free world, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has been making the media rounds since he announced this month that he will seek the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

A Tuesday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt may have helped with the former, but not the latter.

During the 15-minute interview, which delved mostly into matters of national security and global diplomacy, Hewitt stumped Suarez when he asked him if his campaign for president would feature the plight of Uyghurs, an oppressed, mostly Muslim minority in China.

“Will you be talking about the Uyghurs in your campaign?” asked Hewitt.

“The what?” said Suarez.

“The Uyghurs,” Hewitt repeated.

“What’s a Uyghur?” Suarez replied, before Hewitt responded by saying “Okay, we’ll come back to that. You gotta get smart on that.”

LISTEN: Hugh Hewitt Interview with Francis Suarez

The Chinese government has been accused of genocide and committing human rights abuses against Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang. Since 2017, more than a million have been detained by the Chinese government, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Suarez received some criticism following the interview, which is nationally syndicated. Hewitt addressed Suarez’s response in a tweet shortly after their interview, saying: “Mayor @FrancisSuarez was pretty good for a first conversation on air about national security — except for the huge blind spot on the Uyghurs. ‘What’s a Uyghur?’ is not where I expect people running for president to say when asked about the ongoing genocide in China.”

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After the interview, through a spokeswoman, Suarez said he simply misheard Hewitt.

“Of course, I am well aware of the suffering of the Uyghurs in China. They are being enslaved because of their faith,” the mayor said. “China has a deplorable record on human rights and all people of faith suffer there. I didn’t recognize the pronunciation my friend Hugh Hewitt used. That’s on me.”

Suarez, who needs to boost his polling numbers and receive donations from at least 40,000 people to make the first Republican presidential debate in late August, has conducted a series of interviews since launching his longshot presidential campaign this month, even appearing on The View last week.

As the interview concluded, Suarez told Hewitt he’d do some research.

“You gave me homework, Hugh. I’ll look at, what was it, what did you call it, a Weeble?” he said, chuckling.

“The Uyghurs. You really need to know about the Uyghurs, mayor,” Hewitt said. “You gotta talk about it every day.”

“I will search Uyghurs,” Suarez said. “I’m a good learner. I’m a fast learner.”