Rodolfo Hernandez, a candidate in Colombia's presidential election, said he confused Adolf Hitler with Albert Einstein in an interview last year in which he praised the late Nazi leader.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
A former mayor of Bucaramanga, Hernandez became infamous on the Tik Tok and for offensive speech on other social media platforms. In last year's radio interview, he called himself a "follower of a great German thinker named Adolf Hitler."
He later explained he was referring to the renowned physicist Albert Einstein and was not a fan of the Nazi dictator, according to The Times of Israel.
Hernandez, who focused his campaign on criticizing corruption and poverty in Colombia, surprised political analysts by taking second place in the first round of the presidential election on May 29. The 77-year-old businessman could become Colombia's next leader this Sunday if he beats his rival Gustavo Petro, who was earlier seen as a frontrunner in the election and the country's first possible leftist president.
In 2021, Colombia's President Ivan Duque had to apologize after cadets at a police academy caused outrage by dressing up as Nazis for a "cultural exchange" event in honor of Germany.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
