He is the president of a top US trading and security partner but two of the Democratic candidates for the White House couldn't name the leader of Mexico.

Asked in a Nevada election forum Thursday held by the Telemundo channel and the League of United Latin American Citizens, neither Amy Klobuchar nor Tom Steyer could recall the name of the leader of America's immediate neighbor to the south: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

"I forgot," said billionaire Steyer, when asked if he could name Mexico's president.

"No," admitted Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota.

What's his name? Two of the US Democratic candidates for president couldn't remember the name of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
What's his name? Two of the US Democratic candidates for president couldn't remember the name of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador AFP / HERIKA MARTINEZ

Showing them up was Pete Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana mayor and youngest of the eight candidates battling for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Lopez Obrador... I hope," he answered, hesitatingly.

None of the other Democratic candidates attended the "Presidential Town Hall" in Las Vegas, ahead of Nevada's February 15 caucuses for choosing who will face Republican President Donald Trump in the November election.

The event focused on the issues dear to the 32 million Latino voters, many of whom have Mexican roots.

The US president has to spend a significant amount of time with his Mexican counterpart discussing trade, immigration, and drug trafficking issues.

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