Wednesday on his nationally syndicated radio show, conservative talker Rush Limbaugh reacted to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress a night earlier.
Limbaugh focused on the media, which he argued Trump had defied their expectations and that some of them were witnessing the true Trump for the first time.
Partial transcript as follows:
I’m watching this, and I’m becoming more convinced that many of them are hearing this, much of it, for the first time — really hearing it from Trump’s mouth for the first time. I think they are that sequestered, they are that secluded, but they seclude themselves in an air of superiority. Trump’s way down there on the food chain.
Trump’s an idiot. Trump’s this. They don’t need to take the time to understand Trump. They already know Trump: Racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe. Remember, these are small-minded, narrow-minded people. And as this went on, the looks on the faces of so many of these Democrats… The expressions were at one time blank, they were shocked, they were surprised. And there are countless examples. If I wanted to search the deep, dark crevices of my fertile mind, I could give you examples where the Democrats actually have not heard or seen things exactly as you and I have — and when they do, they’re shocked and stunned.
I’ll tell you what else was going through their minds last night because of this. What they knew, what scared the heck out of them last night was that Trump — in their faces, in their presence, on national TV… Here’s another thing. There were many Americans watching that speech last night who themselves saw Trump for who he is for the first time. There were a lot of people in this country that only watch the Drive-By Media, and all they know of Trump is that he worked with the Russians to rig the election, or that he hates women, or that he’s a bombastic narcissist or whatever.
The daily criticisms. That’s what they know because that’s what’s in the media. Then they watch this last night, and it doesn’t compute with what they’ve heard. I’ve been there, folks, I know exactly how this happens. And the Democrats were witnessing it. And what they were realizing was that Donald Trump had just destroyed their efforts past five weeks to many of you define him. He went right over their heads. He went right over the heads of the fake news and the Drive-By Media and reached people who, in many cases — not all — were seeing the real Trump for the first time since the campaign began.
Not since he was elected, but since the campaign began. He just crushed the Drive-Bys last night. He just crushed them. He just blew up every narrative they’ve established on the guy. They don’t know that. They’re continuing with these narratives today. But here’s something that I know all of you Trump supporters are gonna agree with me on. The Drive-Bys today and everybody says, “Wow, what a different guy! Holy smokes! This guy, he became president last night.” How many times have you heard people say that? Chris Wallace was the first to say it.
We’ve got a montage of people, must be ten or 12 them in the Drive-Bys. “Donald Trump became president last night.” Now, what they mean is, “Donald Trump grew up. Donald Trump actually sounded like presidential. Donald Trump actually it looked like he belonged in that office. Donald blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” Here’s what they don’t get. To people who’ve been supporting Donald Trump… Dawn, you tell me if I’m right about. Dawn’s the greatest example of a Trump supporter here in our office.
She’s been with him since before day one, and not one thing has ever made her falter in her support. Not one. The Access Hollywood video, nothing. And this is the big reveal. All of these Drive-Bys and all of these analysts — even the conservative Washington media think they’ve got this down pat — who think they saw a never-before Donald Trump last night, who think they saw a new Donald Trump? The people who supported Donald Trump, the people who elected Donald Trump, that Donald Trump last night was the Donald Trump they saw on week one, week two.
There was no new Donald Trump that night. This was why he got elected. If there was anything last night, it was not a recognition, “Wow! Wow! That’s a different guy.” It was a relief that all the gobbledygook during the day about how Trump was gonna compromise and give it all up and so forth wasn’t true. If there was anything last night, it was an appreciation that Trump was focused, because everything he talked about last night he’s mentioned countless times.
None of this was new last night. Well, they say, “The tone, the compassion.” No. The tone, the compassion’s been at every one of his rallies. I’ve been trying to tell people this. The humility has been at every one of these rallies. The honoring of the military was at every one of his rallies. It’s why I think the Democrats in that room and so many other places really saw him for the first time last night. I’m not exaggerating.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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