However, he added, '100% of that room respected Rush. He also recalled that Republicans, in half the room, 'went crazy,' but the other half, the Democrats, were 'totally dead silent.' Trump said Limbaugh told him that the medal was the 'greatest honor of his life.' It was a very difficult thing for him to do, to come into Washington. President Donald Trump paused his speech to address Limbaugh directly and award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. 'I wish I could have done the surprise thing. 'Rush was very sick at the time, was in the hospital in Boston,' Trump said. Last year, Trump, during what turned out to be his final State of the Union address, presented Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was just a great gentleman, a great man.' He liked what I said, he agreed with what I said.

I made that speech, it was a little bit on the controversial side and he loved it.'Īnd after that, Limbaugh 'was with me right from the beginning. I had never met Rush, and then when we came down the escalator he liked my rather controversial speech. 'He became a friend of mine,' Trump recalled.

People, whether they loved him or not, they respected him, they really did.'īut even though Trump became close with Limbaugh during his presidency, he said that before he announced his candidacy, he had never met the radio icon. Trump added that he once asked Limbaugh if he studied for his shows, and he said ''actually, I study very hard,' which a little bit surprised me. 'He wouldn't just take phone calls he would just talk for 2 hours, for 3 hours, he would just talk, and that's not an easy thing to do.' 'He would just talk,' said Trump of the star's top-rated show. Reactions to Rush Limbaugh’s death immediately devolved into arguments on social media on Wednesday reflecting the fact that Limbaugh was always an American symbol of division. Limbaugh, who had often been hailed by Republicans but slammed by Democrats, had an audience that was 'massive,' said Trump. 'He could have been gone 4 months ago, really.

'He was very brave,' Trump told Fox News. In 1988, Rush launched his phenomenally successful radio broadcast, The Rush Limbaugh Show, into national syndication with 56 radio stations. Late conservative talk show giant Rush Limbaugh was a 'great gentleman, a great man,' former President Donald Trump said Wednesday, shortly after the announcement that Limbaugh had died from his year-long battle with lung cancer.

Dtrump on rush limbo