Agreed, humor/ridicule is a great tactic, but this struck me as a bit forced. Compare and contrast, for example, with Mark Steyn, whose humor seems to come more naturally and is therefore so effective.
I don’t watch any cable or network news programs, however, this video appears to have been heavily edited. With that in mind, I don’t find Rudy’s laughter forced. My impression is that he had a hard time trying to keep a straight face during the various questions Stephie threw at him, and to me, it was because he couldn’t help laughing at the intense facial features of Stephie. They’re laughable.