Trump the showman honors provocative talk-show host Limbaugh
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[February 05, 2020]
By Richard Cowan, David Morgan and Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump on
Tuesday used his State of the Union speech to award the highest U.S.
civilian honor to polarizing radio show host Rush Limbaugh in one of
several attention-grabbing moments staged by the former reality TV
star-turned-president.
Addressing an emotional Limbaugh, who was sitting next to first lady
Melania Trump in the House of Representatives chamber, Trump said he was
awarding the presidential Medal of Freedom "in recognition of all you
have done for our nation."
Some Democratic lawmakers were heard groaning "oh no" in response to the
award for Limbaugh, a leading voice of the political right who for
decades has been at the center of the country's culture wars.
Limbaugh told radio listeners on Monday that he had been diagnosed with
advanced lung cancer.
He has been a nemesis of the American left since the launch of his
pioneering show in 1985 during the Republican revolution of President
Ronald Reagan. For years Limbaugh has helped to shape the party's agenda
in the media.
Much of Limbaugh's appeal has been ascribed to his brash, colorful style
and his delight in baiting liberals.
The Republican president did not wait to place the medal himself around
Limbaugh's neck, part of a White House tradition, and instead had
Melania do the honors while Republican lawmakers applauded and cheered.
The awarding of the medal to Limbaugh was one of several divisive
moments in a night when theatrics overshadowed the policy announcements
that traditionally feature in the annual presidential speech.
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Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh reacts as he is
awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. First Lady Melania
Trump during U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union
address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber
of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 4, 2020.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
While Trump skated quickly through some policy proposals, he also
invoked the names of American folk heroes, such as the old-time
lawman Wyatt Earp, frontiersman Davy Crockett and sharpshooter Annie
Oakley.
In one of the most dramatic moments, Trump orchestrated a surprise
reunion between a soldier who had been deployed to Afghanistan and
his wife and two children, who Trump said, "have not seen their
father's face in many months."
Trump turned his back on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the leading
Democrat in Washington, when she tried to shake his hand before he
spoke. When he concluded, Pelosi ripped up her copy of the speech
behind his back.
One audience member shouted at Trump and was removed from the House
chamber as the president spoke in defense of gun rights. He was Fred
Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter was killed in a Feb. 14,
2008, massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, David Morgan and Patricia Zengerle;
additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Culver City, California;
Editing by Andy Sullivan and Howard Goller)
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