RUSH: This is Lee next in Kohler, Wisconsin. Great to have you, Lee. Hi.

CALLER: Good afternoon, Rush. I just want to say I’m honored to be on your show. I’ve been listening to you since you’re six months old and I’ve learned a lot from you.

RUSH: Well, let me tell. You know what? It’s an honor to have somebody from Kohler, Wisconsin. I think it’s one of the most amazing American families. The Kohler family of Wisconsin have done so much for this country. I think it’s fabulous. Herb Kohler is the modern-day patriarch. But they probably make the toilets you use. They make the big, powerful generators that run when you lose electricity. The plumbing business has just modernized so much. The whole town, Kohler, Wisconsin, is named after ’em and they’ve built golf courses and resorts, Herb Kohler is a gigantic golf aficionado.

CALLER: Wow.

RUSH: So, it’s great to talk to somebody from Kohler.

CALLER: Well, thank you. You seem to know quite a bit about our little town here. We’re only 2,000, but we do seem to get the word out there. Anyway, my point is, my wife and I, Barb, we were in Minneapolis for the Trump rally on Thursday and we didn’t really know what to expect, but when we got there I want to tell you there was a line that was at least a mile long all the while we were waiting, which was about three hours in the rain. We finally got in —

RUSH: Hold your thought. I thought I had an additional minute. I misread the clock. It’s not my fault, it’s not at a good angle here. Hang on and we’ll continue after the break. It’s not my fault. I didn’t do it.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Back now to Lee in Kohler, Wisconsin. I’m sorry I had to interrupt you. But let’s pick up where you left off. You’re there, you’re standing in line, it’s a mile long in the rain, the Trump rally last Thursday in Minneapolis.

CALLER: Right. Thank you, very good to wait here, because as I waited for you, I was thinking about the patience that all the people in that line had to get in to see Donald Trump, although 40,000 people waiting in the 20,000 person venue, I should say, it was almost impossible that everybody was going to get in. But we did. And that’s the point. But when we were waiting in line, at about the two-hour point, there was a woman in line who had gotten a text from a friend of hers that said that the Target Center was only half full and there’s hardly anybody outside waiting to get in. That was fake news. We did get in —

RUSH: Now, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! We just don’t run past something like that. See, if crowd size doesn’t matter, if crowd size doesn’t indicate vote strength and popularity, then why put out fake news like that, Lee? That’s a big deal. Somebody’s lying about the lack of interest in the Trump rally and you’re right there as an eyewitness to prove ’em wrong. I’m just saying —

CALLER: I was an eyewitness and I also heard that there were protesters all over the place getting in our face, and we saw two, and neither one of them got in our face. One was walking around with a cardboard sign that she made in probably five minutes —

RUSH: What color was her hair?

CALLER: I never got to see her hair ’cause I was trying to make out the sign —

RUSH: I will guarantee you it’s purple or green.

CALLER: (laughing) Well, it could have been. But, anyway, so we got in there and I think the point that I wanted to make besides what was going on outside is when we got inside, we kind of had to pinch ourselves because we didn’t think we had a snowball’s chance of getting in, but we did. And when we got to our seat, which was pretty close to the ceiling, it was just a thrill to be sitting there with all these people. And I saw 10-year-old kids as well as people our age, we’re in our seventies, it was just a well-rounded group of people —

RUSH: Well, here again, I’ve got this story. The story, by the way, is from the U.K. Sun, and it ran on Apple News. So, some Apple editor forgot to squash this. “Teenage Trump fans cry tears of joy at Minneapolis rally that looks more like a Justin Bieber concert as he slams pop royalty — Trump’s rally in Minneapolis has turned heads after people pointed out that it looked more like a Justin Bieber concert rather than a political meeting. Teenage girls and boys were seen crying tears of joy as the U.S. president talked about his 2016 win,” in Minnesota.

CALLER: I don’t care how old you are, if you didn’t have tears in your eyes at one point during that whole assembly, which, the president must have talked close to two hours, and he had these people in the palm of his hand. I’ll tell you, where this guy comes up with all this excitement every time he goes to a rally, because he’s basically repeating himself, but yet he says it with —

RUSH: No. It doesn’t matter. See, he’s got his greatest hits, but the reason — there’s nobody in American politics who can do what Donald Trump does, and it’s rooted, Lee, in why did you feel the way you felt when you got in? Why did you feel privileged, giddy, why did you feel like it was such a big deal? ‘Cause it’s a bond of connection that people have with Trump.

You knew that it was something special. You didn’t really know what your chances of getting in were. And then you felt connected to everybody in there without even talking to them, you knew you had enough in common that you were comfortable, you were happy, and it was encouraging to be in that room.

Then Trump comes out, and he’s on. He’s having a great rally, a great night, who cares if you’ve heard it all before. The fact is you’re hearing it, he’s saying it, he’s not giving up on it, he’s not changing it, he’s being consistent. It was everything people wanted it to be.

CALLER: Right. And I think part of my reason for calling is because part of his reason for doing this in the first place is so that 20,000 people can go out the next day and the next week and tell whatever they remembered from it, which you’re not gonna remember every word, but the concept of where he’s trying to take this nation is what inspired me the most. And we had a 75 mile drive back to our — we were camping in Wisconsin, and it just took all that time to settle in, and I’m still thinking about it today because I haven’t seen a U.S. president since Gerald Ford in 1976.

But there is a definite thrill about being there versus watching it on television. And he’s gonna be around quite a bit in the next year, and I would encourage anybody who has the chance to take that opportunity, even if you don’t get in, you could stand outside and be on the other side of the wall and watch it on television and still have that same excitement, maybe not quite to the point that we did, but it’s just being there in that —

RUSH: You know, that’s a good line. Trump rally is the only place in America where being on the other side of the wall is a good place to be.

CALLER: Right. And one more thing I want to mention if I could.

RUSH: Are you sure it’s just one more, Lee?

CALLER: Well, it’s actually three, but the one that I was really impressed with was when he took recognition to the Minneapolis police officers who were sitting in red shirts, they had their own little area, and the crowd went wild.

RUSH: Exactly. And that’s because the mayor had refused to allow the police to show up in uniform if they were gonna be supporting Trump. Well, we have to be nonbiased, of course, you know, we can’t show our political preferences here. You know, that is a great review.

And I could add to it, I’ve been to a Trump rally. I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’m telling you, folks, there’s nobody, and don’t think this is not known. Don’t think this doesn’t bug everybody in Beltway, either. There is nobody in politics who can do what Donald Trump does, what he did Thursday night or at any of his rallies.

There is nobody. Maybe on an occasion they can work hard and get 20,000 people to show up at an Elizabeth Warren rally, but there’s no bond, there’s no connection. They have to work hard at it and it’s a one off. And then they try to make big news about it. This is a point that I have been making, something I observed from even before Trump’s rallies began, and that is the connection that he’s made with the people that vote for him and the people that support him.

And you said he’s doing this because he knows there’s 20,000 people who will then leave and spread the word. Of course, but there’s another reason he does it. He loves it. He absolutely loves it. He loves people. He loves being around people. He doesn’t hide from people. He’s not a hermit. He doesn’t wish that he didn’t have to be around people.

You know how many people in politics hate it? You know how many people in politics literally hate being around the people that vote for ’em? It’s work. And they have to focus and they have to gut it up. Trump loves it! He loves the protesters! He loves mocking them! He loves using them. He loves everything about it.

But there’s also something else about Trump that I think needs to be pointed out. Even though these rallies are free, people still go to great lengths to get there. They spend a lot of money to get there. They spend a lot of money waiting in line. They spend a lot of money and time to get there. And he is insistent with himself that that time is not wasted. He will not have an off night. He will not allow himself to not be the best he can be in that circumstance, and make sure that all of those people showed up at the end of it think it was more than worth it.

There is nobody in American politics who cares about people in that way. Do not doubt me on this. And I’m not offering this as a criticism of people in politics. I’m literally telling you how special this guy is in this particular venue, in this aspect, this retail politics of meeting the people that vote for you, of meeting the people that make the country work, of meeting people that might have voted against you, might not have voted for you and you’re trying to get them to, there’s nobody in American politics who can even approach.

Donald Trump has a sense of self, self-awareness, he knows how he is seen. Do you know how hard that is? Most people when they’re on stage or — it doesn’t matter. Most people in a room are so focused on how they appear to themselves — “Gee, do I look okay? Is my tie straight?” Or whatever. Trump’s focus is outward. Trump has the uncanny ability to know how he is being seen, and he plays to it, he acknowledges it. It’s all part of having this — I think it’s a unique talent, I call it the bond. I don’t mean to be redundant here. But that’s what it is. It’s a bond. It’s a connection. It’s invisible.

It’s kind of like the VPN is invisible but you can see the results of the connection, same thing here at one of Trump’s rallies or anywhere else that he goes. And everybody in Washington is so aware of this, and they are so jealous of it. Remember the Clintons and their ill-fated tour that they decided to do, thinking if Trump can do this, we can do it, we’re not gonna let Trump get away with owning this.

So they set up this international tour with Bill and Hillary, a conversation with Bill and Hillary starting in Canada, then the United States. Have you ever heard anything about it? It died after two events. Nobody showed up. They originally started charging a thousand dollars or more for tickets. They ended up giving them away and still nobody showed up.

And believe me, the Clintons are very much aware that they cannot do what Donald Trump does. And so is Adam Schiff, and so is Harry Reid, and so is Nancy Pelosi, and so are all of them. They are all aware none of them can do what Trump can do. And he’s not even in their business. They, in their minds, they’re the pros, they’re the experts. Trump’s the interloper. But in the depths of their beings they know everything I’m telling you, and it bugs the hell out of them.

I’ve gotta take a break. Thank you, Lee.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: We’ll get so some of these from the Trump rally both Thursday night and from Louisiana, which followed Minneapolis. I mean, this guy’s everywhere. He’s indefatigable. For those of you in Rio Linda, it means he doesn’t tire out. The root word in there is fatigue, indefatigable. But you don’t pronounce it indefatigable. It’s indefatigable. It’s just more of the education, information you get on a daily basis here at the EIB Network.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Okay. So sound bites from the Trump rally. This first one is from Thursday night in Minneapolis.

THE PRESIDENT: …Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, a lot of people.

AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)

THE PRESIDENT: The great Mark Levin. We have a lot of great people.

AUDIENCE: (cheers)

THE PRESIDENT: Lou Dobbs. Great people. You know what they said — every one of ’em, plus many others? “There’s no other man that we’ve ever met that could have taken it.” It’s true. Maybe I’m a little different up here. (points to head) I don’t know.

CROWD: (laughing)

THE PRESIDENT: But I enjoy it. To me, it’s… I’m energized, because we’re draining the swamp.

AUDIENCE: (cheers)

RUSH: There’s an example. He’s talking to people!

AUDIENCE: (cheers)

RUSH: Right on, right on. Okay. He’s talking to people, not at them. He’s not trying to get their attention, he has it. And he’s acknowledging that there is a core group here and that he’s very appreciative. You know, I’ve always said that Donald Trump exudes something. There isn’t anybody in Washington — media, the Democrat Party, you name it — when I say that, that doesn’t start cracking up in laughter. I say the primary ingredient Donald Trump brings to his rallies is humility, and that just causes them to go into conniptions.

Because they think he’s a braggadocious, bombastic, narcissistic pig. But he has humility out the wazoo, and at every one of these rallies, he’ll either take 30 seconds or two minutes or 10 to tell everybody in that room how honored he is that they’re there and how much he appreciates that they’re there and that they support him. And they all hear it. And they all know it’s sincere. And when you master that…

When you have the ability to sincerely connect with people, that’s when you get away with your jokes. That’s when they understand your parody, your satire, or whatever. That’s when they don’t get offended by anything, ’cause they know who he is. It’s the one thing about Donaldus Trump: He does not hide who he is. Here’s Friday night in Lake Charles, Louisiana…

THE PRESIDENT: The people that were right, like Sean Hannity and —

AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)

THE PRESIDENT: — Rush Limbaugh —

AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)

THE PRESIDENT: — Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson —

AUDIENCE: (cheers and applause)

RUSH: Hey, Chatsworth, you got a shout-out!

THE PRESIDENT: — Judge Jeanine and Watters, my Watters —

AUDIENCE: (cheers)

THE PRESIDENT: — and, frankly, the best show by far in the morning is Fox & Friends.

AUDIENCE: (cheers)

THE PRESIDENT: It’s also got the best ratings. And Lou Dobbs. How about Lou Dobbs?

RUSH: Right on, right on.

THE PRESIDENT: And Varney, he’s great. You know, Varney’s great, and Maria Bartiromo.

RUSH: She’s not happy right now. She’s kind of mad.

THE PRESIDENT: And you know what? There are many others, many others, many others. But they get it right. But why is it John Solomon…? Why aren’t these people getting the real Pulitzer Prize? Because they were right. They called it right. The Times, the Washington Post — the dishonest, horrible — I think very, very bad for our country — publications. It’s a phony deal. So their writers get Pulitzer Prizes for getting it wrong, and the great writers that really got it — and I don’t know them. I never even met some of these people. But the ones that really got it right, they go home empty-handed. Doesn’t work that way. And the people see it, you know? The people see it. So some of the names that I mentioned — all of the names that I mentioned and plenty that I didn’t — I’ll tell you, thank God we have them on our side.

AUDIENCE: (cheers)

RUSH: I’ll give you a name that should be in his list: Sara Carter. Sara Carter ought to be in that list. This is one of my talking points, in fact. These people are working so hard — Solomon, Sara Carter and all the people that he mentioned — and they’re right. They’re getting it right. They’re the ones that ought to be winning the awards for ferreting out the story! But they get ignored. They are effectively nonexistent. Trump is exactly right about that. Now, Maria Bartiromo, she is a little unhappy with Trump and Mnuchin today.

I know I’m never gonna find this. I gotta do this from memory. She… Ah! See, here it is. (This very rarely happens.) Maria Bartiromo blasted Trump — well, the administration — for overselling the deal that was made with the ChiComs last week. She wants to support them economically, but she thinks that they really oversold the Phase I agreements with the ChiComs. She thinks that Mnuchin and Trump are doing it to keep the market up. She thinks they’re doing it to keep the market calm.

She doesn’t think that they’re trying to deceive anybody for their own personal gain. But there were 144 ChiCom representatives who flew in for the talks, and the theory was that when 144 delegates from the ChiCom regime come in and start talking trade… The theory then was, “Well, they must know that this impeachment thing was a crock and isn’t going anywhere. They wouldn’t get serious with Trump unless…” Well, I think it’s the opposite. I don’t think they’re gonna make a serious deal with Trump before the election. I think they’ll do just enough, the ChiComs. They’ll do just enough to keep the talks alive and they’ll give up just enough…

I don’t know who the ChiCom presidential preference is, but my guess is that it would not be Trump. I think they don’t look at Trump as a pushover. They look at anybody on the Democrat side as a pushover because the Democrats, by definition, are telling everybody that they want to take it back to where it was before Trump came along. Well, that’s when China was picking our pocket. Anyway, she was very, very pointed here in saying that this Phase I thing was not nearly the big deal that they’re making it out to be. But she did say they’re doing it to make sure the markets stay level and calm and all that.