Jon Huntsman Gets ‘The Colbert Bump’

Jon Huntsman and Stephen Colbert
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Stephen Colbert and Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman sat down Monday night to “hash out the issues.” But Colbert started out skeptical of the former Utah governor.

“How can I trust you? You worked for Obama,” Colbert said.

Huntsman said he was raised with the belief that “you always put country first.”

“When your president stands up and asks you to serve, particularly during a time of war and economic hardship, you do what’s told,” he said.

Now is an important time for Americans to come together, Huntsman added. And Huntsman dismissed an anti-Mormonism flare-up in the 2012 Republican presidential as a phase. But the interview was not without a few yucks.

Colbert asked Huntsman — who is fluent in Mandarin — to say something terrifying in the Chinese language. When Colbert asked for the translation, Huntsman said, “I think you ought to consider being my running mate.”

ABC News reports that an extended version of the interview included a rather tasteless joke about China:

When Colbert played a sound effect of a stereotypical Chinese riff, Huntsman joked, “When’s the delivery food coming?” After a few seconds of awkward silence, Colbert replied, “Did that go over well in Beijing?” This portion of the interview was cut for time from the broadcast.

Huntsman has made a few headlines by poking fun at his rivals’ denial of climate change and by boycotting the most recent Republican debate, but his campaign has struggled to find any real momentum. No bother, Colbert’s got his back.

“Are you ready for the Colbert bump?” he asked. “You may be at 2 percent. We’re gonna get you up to whole milk.”

Watch the video:

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