Donald Trump over the weekend claimed he never called for Hillary Clinton to be locked up in prison ― a lie so egregious that “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart was left speechless for 15 seconds after playing the clip on Monday night.
“What the fuck?” an exasperated Stewart said when he finally broke his silence. “I think I remember you saying it ― to her face, at a debate.”
Trump told Clinton during a 2016 debate “you’d be in jail” if he won the election.
“To be fair, I apologize, you did not say the words, ‘Lock her up,’” Stewart corrected. “You only used a phrase synonymous with locking her up.”
Stewart then offered a correction to his correction.
“He literally said ‘lock her up’ all the fucking time,” Stewart said, and rolled footage of him doing it.
Check out his reaction after playing the clips of Trump repeatedly using the exact phrase he denied using:
“And he said it a million times!” Stewart said, then pointed out that Trump made the claim during an interview with three Fox News hosts, none of whom challenged him over it.
Stewart said it’s a reason why the nation needs courts.
“It does appear to be the last place in America where you can’t just say whatever the fuck you want regardless of reality,” Stewart said. “Trump knows this better than anyone.”
Stewart compared what Trump has said publicly to the very different statements he and his representatives have made under oath in court.
Then, he came up with a plan for the media to behave more like the courts when it comes to statements and evidence ― and the role a “jury” of viewers can play as well: