RUSH: Man, oh, man, what a weekend. Holy smokes, folks. It may well be that I may be the only one, or maybe one of a select few, seeing things the way I see ’em ’cause I just ran it by Mr. Snerdley, the nut job in there, and he didn’t get it. He didn’t see it like I saw it. I didn’t run it by anybody else, ’cause there are no other nut jobs in there except for Snerdley.
Anyway, greetings, my friends, welcome. It’s Rush Limbaugh, the EIB Network, ready to go. This is the Memorial Day weekend, and we’re gonna be here on Friday. Will not be here a week from today, that is Memorial Day itself, but we will be here on — wait, wait, you’re looking at me like I have just dropped a — oh, he didn’t know it was — I thought somehow you guys were not gonna be here on Friday in your own minds and now that I said I’m gonna here — no. Do we want to take Friday off? Still time to arrange it, find some nut job guest host. 800-282-2882 if you want to be on the program. (laughing) The email address, ElRushbo@eibnet.us.
All I saw was textual reporting, websites, newspapers, and this kind of thing. And something struck me. And let me put it to you this way. Have any of you observed the complete, total difference in President Trump on this trip compared to the President Trump in Washington?
Let me extrapolate or expand on this. The reporting on Trump, with a few obvious and predictable exceptions, has been over-the-top positive, deservedly so. Trump is kicking butt on this trip, if I may say. Trump is defying, once again, all of the odds and all of the things that were predicted about him. If you’ll remember, the left, led by the news media, has been telling us practically from the day that Trump announced his candidacy that he would be a complete disaster, particularly in foreign affairs and foreign relations around the world, and even more particularly in the Middle East.
We have been told that Trump is so reckless and so dangerous and so stupid and so uninformed and ill-prepared that he could undo all of the great accomplishments of every president before him combined in less than one week, such a boob is Trump. Trump would destroy any chance that our allies in the Middle East ever had of peace or of working with him. The United States and its precious image around the world would be destroyed by this bull-in-the-china-shop man.
And, instead, the news of this weekend, the achievements, the accomplishments, the rave reception that President Trump is getting everywhere he is going, the profound respect — now, I understand that some of it may be flattery. I understand some of it may be calculated and not all genuine. But the point is, ladies and gentlemen, let me just cut to the chase. We’re looking at two different presidents here if all we have to go on is the media.
When Trump is in Washington, D.C., what is he? He is a genuine idiot. He’s impolitic, he’s uninformed, he’s running a chaotic administration where nobody knows what anybody is doing. Whenever they do anything it is disastrous. Trump is cruising down the road to impeachment, and yet on this trip Trump is being hailed as great and accomplished and appreciated as any previous president has been. Maybe a couple of exceptions on specific items.
Now, how can that be?
How can the Donald Trump of Washington be such an insufferable boob, so incompetent, so incapable, so impolitic, so brusque, so boorish, so politically incorrect, and yet when he leaves the United States and heads to a foreign country, he becomes the epitome of greatness? He becomes the epitome of restraint, he becomes the epitome of discipline? How can this be? Well, I can give you one really good answer: The Donald Trump of Washington doesn’t exist, because the Donald Trump of Washington is what is reported in the Drive-By Media.
The Donald Trump of Washington ends up being portrayed by all of these news stories that happen to be sourced by anonymous leakers. Every day in Washington at 5:30 there’s a new bombshell in the Drive-By Media from an anonymous source once again informing us how incompetent, how ill-mannered, how ill-prepared, how in chaos, how out of touch Donald Trump is.
We continue to get stories that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians, even though there’s no evidence. We continue to get stories that Donald Trump is saying the most insulting, stupid things to people, that he’s bragging to enemies about his nut job FBI director that he fired. None of it is substantiated. None of it is backed up by anybody other than anonymous leaks, but there are no anonymous leaks on this trip to the Middle East. So far. We don’t have a single story that tells us that Trump told the king of Saudi Arabia, “Take the veil off, man. Get into the twenty-first century and look like a real man.” No leaks like this.
We haven’t had one leak about anything boorish, immature, childish, chaotic, incompetent that Trump has done on this trip. My point is that the Trump on this trip has been seen and shaped as unfiltered. The media has not been able to get themselves between whatever Trump is doing and saying and you. In Washington, it’s just the exact opposite. The media is right there, between Trump and you. And the media is telling you who Trump is and what he’s saying and what he’s doing, courtesy of anonymous leaks. But none of this so far on this trip.
Now, I know I’m speaking freely here. It’s entirely possible, in fact predictable, that it won’t be long before these kinds of leaks — ’cause Trump is doing well, folks. Trump is shocking everybody. He’s shocking the Democrats. He’s shocking the Republicans. He’s shocking world.
For example, who knew that Donald Trump was this religious? Contrast what’s happened here in just the last three days with eight years of Barack Obama. We have had no apologizing. We’ve had no bowing. We’ve had a president of the United States actually tell the heads of state of countries where terrorism is rampant to get rid of it, to drive it out. We’ve had a president of the United States directly confront Iran where his our previous president threw everybody else overboard for Iran.
I’ll get into more of this in detail as the program unfolds, but stop and think of this. Consider the Trump that you have seen and watched in Saudi Arabia and now in Israel. Contrast that with the president you see and hear reported on in Washington. The two men don’t even look remotely similar. This trip should not be possible. The news coming out of this trip should not be possible based on what everybody is saying about Trump in Washington. Incompetent, boorish, impolitic, rude, mean, all those things.
And yet Trump gets off the plane in Saudi Arabia, gets off the plane in Israel, and is overwhelmingly respected and welcomed and appreciated. I have to think that it’s not all just because he has the title of president. I think it’s a stunning contrast. How can these two completely different characters exist: The Donald Trump of Washington and the Donald Trump of this trip? Have you noticed this? Has anybody else noticed this or is it just me? Maybe it’s not as big a deal as I think it is.
But, folks, it’s the first thing that struck me, especially now given… It’s important to know I didn’t watch any of this stuff live. I only read about it. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I couldn’t believe that I was reading instant slam dunks and constant criticism and stories making fun of and stories expressing fear, “Oh, my God! This man is destroying the world. He’s destroying the country. Do you believe what he said to the king?” None of that. His wife, Melania Trump, is a huge star on this trip in every which way possible.
And she was herself totally in Saudi Arabia. Did not bow to local convention. Everything that we have been told to expect from Donald Trump based on the domestic media and the way they’ve covered and reported on him in Washington, we should have quaking in our boots. We should have been in fear. “Oh, no! What’s Trump gonna say to these people to hack them off? How’s he gonna insult them? What inoffensive, selfish, childlike thing is Donald Trump gonna say or do?” The answer is nothing.
Why not, Mr. Think Tank Specialist?
The Saudis are so happy. People don’t understand, the Saudi Arabian government — kingdom — hates Iran. They’re scared to death of Iran. That’s Shi’a versus Sunni Muslim, and the Iranians are Persians. They’re not Arabs. So it’s a double whammy. There is no love lost, and the Saudis have been petrified over Barack Obama’s peace dance and nuclear dealings with the nation of Iran. They are ecstatic to have Donald Trump. They were ecstatic to hear Donald Trump single out Iran. I know you say, “But, Rush! But, Rush! He didn’t say ‘radical Islamic terrorism.”
He got close enough.
“But, Rush! But, Rush! Saudi Arabia (stammering) worldwide terrorism!” Yeah, but Trump went there and tackled it. You compare this to Obama’s mindless twaddling, whatever it was, the Cairo speech that no can still tell you what he said. I just think… We’ll get into all of this in detail as far as the comments that were made. We have audio sound bites coming up. But the contrast is striking to me. Two completely different presidents. One of them is on display, unfiltered for everybody to see, that’s in Saudi Arabia and now Israel.
And the other one is in Washington where everything written, broadcast, and said is written by anonymous sources in the deep state with no evidence of anything that they’re saying. This is leading to a major, major problem in the Democrat Party. I mentioned this on Friday. You know, there’s stories out there that the Democrats are starting to slowly walk back the idea that Trump’s gonna be impeached. Do you know why that is? It’s because there isn’t any evidence, and there isn’t any crime that Trump has committed that anybody has been able to find.
And they won’t find one. But the Democrat Party and the media — primarily, the media — has created a genuine insane asylum that is the Democrat Party base. The Democrat Party base believes that Trump colluded with the Russians. The Democrat Party base believes that the Russians stole election from Hillary. They believe it because that’s what they’ve been told solidly for nine months. They believe it. They have been driven insane.
They lied to ’em about how Trump was gonna be negatively affected by all the things he was saying. They’re being lied to each and every day, and those lies become more intense. They enlarge, they get bigger, and they become more frequent, and the left lunatic base, which includes these judges… How about these judges who issued stays on Trump’s travel order ’cause he hates Muslims? How does that wash with this weekend?
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: It is true, ladies and gentlemen, that the Drive-By Media is not spending a lot of time covering the Trump trip. The cameras are on. And if you know where to go, you can watch the speeches. But you’re not seeing a lot of this at CNN. You’re not seeing a lot of this on PMSNBC.
And there is not a whole lot of reporting on this in the New York Times. The reason is, they don’t want to write or televise any of this because it’s in such stark contrast to the pictures they’ve been painting of Trump. It’s so incongruent. It’s so inconsistent. Of course, the other reason why is the last thing, the last thing in the world they want… Don’t forget what is driving a lot of this. In addition to all else, it is the protection of the Barack Obama legacy.
Do not ever doubt me on that. These people have a personal attachment to Obama and his presidency and his legacy. And so Trump… It’s just another of many reasons why Trump has to be diminished, destroyed, impugned, or what have you. But this trip is so phenomenally successful, so phenomenally positive that they can’t report it because it doesn’t fit with the Trump whom they have painted in the last six or so months. But it’s still getting out there.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Let me grab a call quickly. Sandra, Omaha, great to have you on the program. Welcome.
RUSH: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that. I really do.
CALLER: Now, what caught my attention this morning was when you were talking about not be able to see — and I’m sorry (choking up), I’m trying not to be emotional ’cause this really does get to me. You know, I watched every bit of live stream that I possibly could on this trip that the president is on right now, and I am so amazed at how respected and revered they’re treating him. (choking up) I thought to myself, “Why aren’t our American people giving him the same respect and honor? This man is doing so much for our country, and it was just… You know, I sat there all week and I thought, “What is wrong with this picture?” And then it just hit me. I thought, “You know what? He’s completely removed himself from that toxic environment in Washington, and there’s no leaks this weekend.”
RUSH: There you go. There you go.
CALLER: And when you said what you said, I thought, “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” and I thought, “Thank you so much. Thank you so very much for this.”
RUSH: I can’t tell you, Sandra… I’ve gotta interrupt; I’m sorry. I’ve had a number of people tell me the same observation you’ve had, how amazing it is that Donald Trump’s being respected more in that part of the world, and by even members of his own party, much less the Democrats. But all of Washington. Yes, we will talk about this. Thank you so much, Sandra.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: It has been striking. I have had a lot of people send me notes expressing the shock at how much respect Trump is getting over there versus how little he gets here, especially in his own party.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Here’s Drew. Drew’s in Dallas, as we head back to the phones. Great to have you, Drew. How are things?
CALLER: Doing great, Rush, and thanks for taking my call. Mega dittos from the great state of Texas.
RUSH: Thank you. Thank you. It’s “Tex-iss.”
CALLER: (chuckles) “Tex-iss.”
RUSH: It’s “Tex-iss.”
CALLER: I was listening to your opening monologue this morning, and you just exactly described how I left watching that speech over the weekend. It was two different presidents. I mean, the way they portray him in the media here and the president I saw over there. I finally saw a president that I could be proud of, not bowing as he gets off the plane. You know, the first lady not wearing a headdresses, maintaining her ethics and all that. It really encouraged me on the speech and it’s what I’ve been waiting to see in Trump all the time. I was just glad to finally see it.
RUSH: Well, you know, I think it’s fascinating this contrast, and he’s right. Drew, thanks. I addressed it in the first hour. Look, let me make the point further. I don’t think there’s any difference in the two Trumps. Maybe I didn’t make this clear. I don’t think Trump’s different in Washington than he is there. The difference is you don’t have anybody tweeting. The Trump in Washington compared to the Trump in this trip, what’s the difference? The Trump in Washington is filtered by the media. Folks, there’s still, even today — and there’s gonna be another bombshell. I guarantee you.
They’re all excited Flynn’s gonna take the Fifth Amendment.
Flynn’s gonna refuse to testify.
That must mean Flynn’s guilty!
Comey is gonna single-handedly get Trump impeached this week. They can’t wait. They’re all beside themselves. They’ve got more leaks. Bannon and Priebus left Saudi Arabia, came back to the United States. The media says that’s because they did something to make Trump mad, they’re soon to be fired, both laid off, it’s gotta happen, too much chaos. The administration says no, they were scheduled to come back after the big meetings that were in Riyadh, nothing to see here.
But the domestic reporting of Trump has not changed. I got it here in the Stacks of Stuff, all these horrible things, all rooted around this lie that Trump and the Russians colluded. They’re not dropping it, not letting it go. But since Trump isn’t in Washington, Trump’s over there, he’s making totally unrelated to news that flies in the face of the narratives here. The narratives today and last week do not compute with the Trump that we’ve seen on this trip.
My point is Trump is Trump. He’s the same guy wherever he is. But the reporting on him on this trip is nowhere near like the reporting on Trump when he’s in Washington. There aren’t any leaks. For example, we haven’t yet seen a story quoting unnamed sources in the Saudi government saying that the king was profoundly embarrassed when Trump asked if there was a McDonald’s nearby.
There hasn’t been a leak from one of the associates of the king saying, “This guy Trump, he already insulted us wanting ketchup with his steak, and then he wanted two scoops of ice cream on the falafel. It’s not done. This guy’s an absolute barbarian.” And there hasn’t been a leak from an associate of King Salman telling somebody in the Drive-By Media that Trump looked at his son, the prince, and said, “Man, I hope you live a long time ’cause your son’s a nut job.” We haven’t had leaks like this about the Trump foreign trip.
By the way, the Russians are saying that Trump did not say that. Sergey Lavrov said he didn’t do any of this stuff that is being reported. Now, of course, who do we believe? It’s a tough question. Do we believe the Russians or do we believe our own lying media? (interruption) Yeah, believe the Russians hands down, believe the Russians hands down.
So everybody thinks that Trump called Comey a nut job. What if he didn’t? We already have documented countless lies that the media has told about Rosenstein and about Comey requesting more money. Comey’s trying to hide behind the curtain so that Trump won’t notice him? Maybe he is a nut job. But everyone, “That’s just beyond the pale, Mr. Limbaugh. You wouldn’t, a president would never, he’s an enemy, I don’t care what you say, Comey is a patriot, Comey’s an American, Comey’s on our side, you wouldn’t dare, you wouldn’t dare kneecap one of your own guys to your enemy.”
Probably not. But we don’t know for a fact that Trump did. We only think we know because it’s been reported by how many unconfirmed, anonymous sources? Two scoops of ice cream, Trump’s so selfish, guests only get one. The contrast is stark. Trump on this trip and the Trump in Washington. My contention is that Trump is Trump. What’s different is the reporting.
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