Here’s Jon Stewart’s Stunned Reaction to Trump’s Most Obvious Lie on ‘The Daily Show’

Former President Donald Trump's bold denial that he ever called for Hillary Clinton to be jailed left the host of The Daily Show Jon Stewart stunned. Trump's allegation over the weekend was so obviously untrue that following the playback of the video on his show, Stewart stood silent for a full fifteen seconds. Stewart's response when he eventually found his voice was simply priceless, per Uproxx.

“What the f**k?” Stewart yelled, clearly frustrated, per Deadline. “I think I remember you saying it ― to her face, at a debate.” This sharp reference was to Trump's notorious 2016 presidential debate comment to Clinton when he said she would “you’d be in jail” if he won. Stewart then went on to critique Trump's insolence with his customary sharp wit.

“To be fair, I apologize, you did not say the words, ‘Lock her up,’” Stewart sarcastically corrected himself. “You only used a phrase synonymous with locking her up.” Stewart, though, wasn't done. “He literally said ‘lock her up’ all the fucking time,” Stewart continued, cutting to a montage of footage that had Trump repeating the same phrase—which he now claims he has never said—repeatedly.

After watching the video, which served as a sharp reminder of Trump's constant demands to put his political rival in jail, Stewart's disbelief gave way to obvious annoyance. Stewart slammed his desk with his hands, and he froze for 15 seconds! As soon as Stewart snapped out, he blasted the Fox News anchors who had interviewed Trump for not standing up to his flagrant lies.

“And he said it a million times!” Stewart cried out, criticizing the hosts for not calling him out. Stewart took use of the occasion to draw attention to a crucial aspect of the American legal system. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, is why we need courts,” he explained. “Whatever flaws the American justice system has — and they are legion, especially for non-billionaire former presidents — it does appear to be the last place in America where you can’t just say whatever the f*** you want, regardless of reality.”

Stewart expressed his disdain for the conservative media without holding back, charging them with creating a climate in which such flagrant lies could proliferate unchecked. “To admit their own political gamesmanship, their own attempts at weaponizing justice, their own relentless pursuit of opponents, their own dehumanizing rhetoric towards the left would be to allow a molecule of reality into the airtight distortion field that has been created to protect Magadonians from the harsh glare of actuality,” he fumed.

Stewart ended by drawing a comparison between the media circus and the courtroom. “The difference between in court and out of court is that, in court, someone can say ‘prove it,’” Stewart said. “And the problem is that most of the time in this country, our political leaders are not in court. They are here on TV, where the news media has decided that there’s really no such thing as reality.”