One of the three moderators at Wednesday night’s GOP debate had an embarrassing slip of the tongue when he mispronounced the name of another moderator, a moment that perhaps set the tenor of the chaotic debate that ultimately followed.
Stuart Varney of Fox Business welcomed viewers to the second Republican debate of the primary election before attempting to introduce Ilia Calderón of Univision to his left.
“I am thrilled to be sitting alongside my co-moderators, Fox News Channel’s Dana Perino and Ilia Calder… uh, uh, Univision,” stuttered Varney.
“Good evening,” said the two in unison before Varney gestured for Calerdón to take it from there.
“Thank you, Stuart,” she continued gracefully.
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Based on reviews, Fox was simply not prepared to host a primetime event without former President Donald Trump, who skipped the affair in favor of delivering a speech to United Auto Workers currently on strike in Michigan. The slate of low-polling alternatives squabbled endlessly while Perino, Varney, and Calederón essentially lost control of the format.
The internet was characteristically unsympathetic to Varney’s plight, with one viewer calling him a “drunk orangutan.”
Stuart Varney bumbled around like a drunk orangutan with dementia
Dana Perino was her usual inept,