Rush Limbaugh reacts after first Lady Melania Trump presented him with the the Presidential Medal of Freedom as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Second lady Karen Pence is at left and Kathryn Limbaugh is partially hidden. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Associated Press
President Donald Trump awarded controversial right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Trump’s decision to honor Limbaugh appeared to be prompted by the commentator’s announcement on Monday that he’s been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Limbaugh’s brand of identity politics and conservatism is closely aligned with the president’s. On Tuesday, Trump hailed Limbaugh as “the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet.”For three decades, the radio host has degraded women, made racist comments, and rewritten the history of slavery and the plight of Native Americans on his airwaves. Here are some of the racist, sexist, and otherwise awful things Limbaugh has said over the years. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.President Donald Trump awarded the controversial right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
The move honored a man who, for three decades, has degraded women, made racist comments, and rewritten the history of slavery and the plight of Native Americans on his airwaves. Limbaugh’s brand of identity politics and conservatism is closely aligned with the president’s. The two men, who are friends, share other similarities as well: They both call Palm Beach home, spend copious amounts of time on the golf course, and have been married multiple times. Above all, the king of right-wing talk radio has been a staunch supporter of Trump for years. The commentator has prided himself on pushing the envelope on what’s tolerated in mainstream public discourse and reveled in the outrage his arguments inevitably provoke.Limbaugh is an outspoken opponent of feminism, which he’s said “was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.” He’s made too many racist comments to count, including lamenting that professional football “looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons” and “if any race of people should not have guilt about slavery, it’s Caucasians.”
His controversial approach to infuriating, entertaining, and dividing the American public has helped the 69-year-old host rake in tens of millions of dollars as “The Rush Limbaugh Show” has pulled in a daily audience of up to 27 million. Trump’s decision to honor Limbaugh appeared to be prompted by the commentator’s announcement on Monday that he’s been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. In his Tuesday night address, Trump hailed Limbaugh as “the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet” and “a special man, beloved by millions of Americans.” Unsurprisingly, the response to Limbaugh’s honoring was deeply partisan. While some Democrats shouted, “no!” when Trump announced Limbaugh’s name, many Republican lawmakers gave the radio host a standing ovation.
Here are some of the racist, sexist, and otherwise awful things Limbaugh has said over the years: He argued that white people shouldn’t be blamed for slavery: “It’s preposterous that Caucasians are blamed for slavery when they’ve done more to end it than any other race,” he said. “If any race of people should not have guilt about slavery, it’s Caucasians.”He called Georgetown Law student Susan Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” when she argued before Congress for contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The comments earned a direct rebuke from then-President Barack Obama, who said, “all decent folks can agree” that the remarks “don’t have any place in the public discourse.” He was forced to resign from ESPN after he said Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb got undeserved praise because “the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” He mocked actor Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease, commenting on a video Fox appeared in: “Either he didn’t take his medication or he’s acting.”The Obamas were a favorite target. Limbaugh infamously compared President Obama to a cartoon monkey, and regularly commented on Michelle Obama’s body, referring to her as “Moochelle Obama” and “Michelle, my butt.” He called Amy Carter, “the most unattractive presidential daughter in the history of the country” and Chelsea Clinton the “White House dog.”He’s repeatedly joked that Hillary Clinton castrates men and has a “testicle lockbox” and that she wasn’t admitted to the US Marines because “they didn’t have uniforms or boots big enough to fit that butt and those ankles.”Watch some of these moments below:
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Rush Limbaugh
State Of The Union
President Donald Trump
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