Mike Huckabee makes light of Zika virus while dissing Hillary Clinton

(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

published 11 August 2016

Watch out, Amy Schumer! Step aside, Jerry Seinfeld! There's a new comedian in town, and he's gunning for your slot at the Laugh Factory.

So, who is this funny guy? It's none other than Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, Republican presidential candidate, and apparent laugh-a-minute. While introducing Donald Trump at a rally Wednesday in Florida, he came armed with a joke about two very hot topics in the state: Zika virus and Hillary Clinton.

"I know Donald Trump, but I know the Clintons even better," he said. "Having been governor of Arkansas for 10-and-a-half years not long after they left, I know them well, and folks, I'm gonna tell you something: I'm a lot more afraid of a Hillary Clinton presidency than I am of getting a mosquito bite in South Florida, and we all better be worried about it." More than 400 cases of Zika virus have been reported in Florida, and the mosquito-borne illness can cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly. The joke loses its luster when you stop to think about those unfortunate statistics, so maybe Huckabee should focus on smallpox or polio during his next set. Am I right? Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.