Rush Limbaugh explained during his radio show Friday how President Trump invited him to Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
Trump honored the conservative commentator with an invitation to the speech, during which he bestowed upon Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The award came a day after Limbaugh revealed he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.
According to Limbaugh, he was at the hospital on the day of the president’s address awaiting an evening procedure when he got a phone call from the White House.
“Rush! Rush! How you doing, buddy? Great to hear from you! Hey, look, what are you doing later today?” Rush said on his radio show, recounting how the president began the call. “Well, look, what’s the doctor’s name? I want to call him and have him delay it for a couple days ’cause I need you down here tonight.”
He added, from Trump, “Look, your health comes first; there’s no question. But can’t they just do half of what they’re gonna do and then send you down here? Believe me, you don’t want to miss this! It’s gonna be great. It’s gonna be great. You don’t want to miss this.”
Limbaugh explained that he and his wife rescheduled the treatment for the next morning, saying they rushed to their hotel room in order to find an outfit that would fit him.
“So, we were escorted into the room by Mrs. Trump, and we chat with her for two or three minutes, and then, the Trump family began to come in — Ivanka, Donald Jr., Eric, their wives, spouses, and then, the president came in and sat down and started talking about the award and the medal and what it means and how special it is and how thrilled he was that we were able to make it,” he went on. “One of the reasons I was reluctant was I just wasn’t sure I deserved this. I mean, it’s the highest civilian honor that the country awards.”
The radio host went on say his favorite part of the president’s State of the Union address was not when he received the medal. Instead, he said it was when Sgt. Townsend Williams was reunited with his family after serving abroad.
“That moment that he came down those steps? You have to have been there to understand the power of that moment,” Limbaugh concluded.
