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CALLER: Yeah, so Jim Acosta, well, he\u2019s a sider so that\u2019s fake media. Well, this whole kid who put out — not a kid — who put out this thing on Trump beating up CNN, you know, this whole blowup, they\u2019ve lost their minds. At what point does the administration go, “Okay, we\u2019re kind of done.” It\u2019s like my five-year-old throws a fit, I try be a good dad, “Okay, okay, okay, okay, look, go to your room, be quiet. When you\u2019re ready to act like an adult, you can come back to the table, but in the meantime, go to the corner.” Is there a point we get there, or not?<\/p>\n
RUSH: Well, okay. I think what I\u2019m being asked here is why does Trump continue to even deal with them as media since they\u2019re Fake Media, since he\u2019s claiming they\u2019re fake, why do they even get into the pressroom. You will be happy to know that there have been — it\u2019s ongoing, no decisions — discussions about eliminating CNN\u2019s credentials in the Trump press office. They have talked about this for some of the very reasons that you assign.<\/p>\n
My question is more basic. You know, we\u2019re all operating under tradition in many things, and tradition is that the president is the president and the media is the media, and the media gets to ask representatives of the president questions each and every day at the White House press briefing. And we have accepted as tradition if it\u2019s a Republican president the press can lie and distort and trick and deceive and be mean all day long, and we just have to deal with it \u2019cause that\u2019s how it is.<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s a Democrat president that happens to be the first African-American, then we just have to deal with the fact that the press is a bunch of sycophants and they\u2019re gonna spend all day long kissing the president\u2019s rear end. And they\u2019re gonna do everything they can to cover for him. Okay, fine. Why do we have to accept this tradition? Why does our side have to accept their tradition that the media gets its fair chance at destroying us every day? Why is that considered a part of behavior in the establishment?<\/p>\n
Why? Why do we, why does our president, why does Bush, Reagan, you name it, Trump, some of us, why do we have to just sit here and take it and say, “Well, that\u2019s just us. That\u2019s the polite way. That\u2019s the way the jib is cut.” Why? Well, obviously Trump doesn\u2019t believe that. Trump doesn\u2019t accept that tradition, by a long shot. And this is what it looks like when you blow it up.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: I\u2019ll make another point about this. ‘Cause the caller\u2019s question was, “Look, if Trump knows that CNN\u2019s fake news, and if they\u2019re basically a bunch of kids playing Romper Room — if they\u2019re not qualified — why even put them in the pressroom? Why even acknowledge that they\u2019re media? If they\u2019re Fake Media, if they\u2019re there just to stir the pot, why even let \u2019em in?”<\/p>\n
And to a certain extent I understand the question, understand the sentiment. But I want to go beyond that. Why is it and where is it written that we, as conservative Republicans — simply because it\u2019s tradition and simply because it\u2019s the way it\u2019s always been. Why do we have to sit there and take the bullying, the lying, the mischaracterization, the dehumanization, the attempt to delegitimize? Why is that our role? People on our side say, “You must just accept that that\u2019s the rules. That\u2019s just the way it is. It would be folly to take on the media.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/00-DriveByRobots.jpg\")
They\u2019ve always told us, “It would be silly!” You\u2019ve heard the old adage: Don\u2019t ever get into argument with people who buy ink by the barrel. And, by the same token, we are to sit idly by while the media — while we call them, while we acknowledge that they\u2019re the news. They treat the Democrats and leftists with the softest of gloves and with love and devotion, and they cover up for them, and they\u2019re never hard on them. They\u2019re never critical of them, or seldom. These are just the rules, and we have to sit there and we have to put up.<\/p>\n
By virtue of the fact that we are going to be conservative, call ourselves conservatives, certain things we have to accept. We have to accept the media is gonna try to destroy us, dehumanize us, delegitimize us, rip us, destroy our president and our elected officials. We just have to sit there. And by the same token, when they do the opposite with Democrats, we have to accept that. Why? I understand his question. If they\u2019re fake news and if they\u2019re fraudulent news, what are they doing in there? What are they doing that guarantees them a seat, guarantees them a credential? Why are they there? Tradition?<\/p>\n
Well, they\u2019ve always been there.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re part of the media.<\/p>\n
They have White House correspondents.<\/p>\n
Yeah, I know, but that\u2019s not what they do. They\u2019re there to destroy the president of the United States, and the president is required by tradition to let them into the room and let them try. And yet when the president lets reports who are somewhat friendly in and takes questions, CNN whines and moans about that and claims that is fake news. Yet when for eight years in a row these same reporters sits there and fawn all over Obama, that is not fake news? That\u2019s legitimate, and we\u2019re supposed to shut up about it? So now we\u2019ve got a president fighting back against all this tradition, fighting back against all the, “Well, this is just the way it is.” Fighting back against the, “You just have to sit there and take it. This is part of what being a Republican in Washington is.”<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Why do we sit here and just have to take the fact that protesters are gonna show up, bought and paid for, and they\u2019re gonna protest and they\u2019re gonna give the media a phony narrative, a false meme. That the media can say the protesters hate America, they\u2019re justified in hating America. They hate Trump, they\u2019re justified in hating. Why do we sit there and take this? We do we every time fall for these reports that this is all real? “Because, Mr. Limbaugh welcome back it is real. The last time I saw there were protesters in the street.”<\/p>\n
You know what I mean, Mr. New Castrati. It\u2019s not real. It\u2019s orchestrated. It\u2019s choreographed. They\u2019re salaried. They\u2019re paid for. They may be independent contractors, but they\u2019re paid to show up and raise hell, creating a news narrative. Let me show you how ridiculous this gets. Grab sound bite, what is it, number 23. Trump and Merkel shook hands. CNN had to analyze it. This afternoon on Wolf Blitzer\u2019s show, John Brennan filling in for Wolf. I don\u2019t know where Wolf is.<\/p>\n
He spoke with senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny, who used to be at the New York Times. Zeleny is traveling with the president. In fact, Zeleny is on rooftops even now reporting on the protests. (interruption) Oh, you don\u2019t expect the reporters to actually get down in there amongst them? Hell, no, folks. They\u2019re not gonna dirty their suits for the cocktail party and dinner tonight. Hell, no. They\u2019re gonna have seats up there on the rooftops where they can watch the protests and tell us that all of this represents hatred for Trump and therefore hatred for America. And then they head off to the cocktail party or dinner or wherever they\u2019re going, always with the camera in tow, in case of breaking news.<\/p>\n
So Zeleny, traveling with the president. Merkel shook hands with Trump. John Berman, the anchor at CNN, says, “Do you get the sense that the White House was preparing for this? Do you get the sense the White House cares about the optics of the meeting between Trump and Merkel?”<\/p>\n
Now, stop and think of that question. “Do you get the sense the White House was preparing for this?” No. No, I think Trump got off the plane today and I think he was shocked to run into Angela Merkel at the G20 meeting. I think it\u2019s the last thing he expected. And then she wanted to shake his hand, I don\u2019t think Trump knew what to do. What the hell kind of question is this? “Do you think the White House was preparing for this?” Well, here is the analysis of what happened.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/TrumpMerkelHandshake.jpg\")
ZELENY: Sure, I think the White House absolutely cares about the optics of this. We\u2019ve seen several sort of handshakes go awry. I am told that she initiated the handshake by a pool reporter in the room, that she initiated this handshake here. So yes, optics always matter in this case. I think we probably make more of them now in the age of social media than we used to. You know, there always were awkward moments here, but it\u2019s the substance of this meeting, they have so many disagreements that really will be an issue here for these two countries going forward.<\/p>\n
BERMAN: You know, Jeff, we just saw the video again. We all can confirm that yes, she did seem to initiate the handshake. Her hand went out first.<\/p>\n
RUSH: There you have it. Breaking news at CNN that Angela Merkel was the first to offer her hand in shaking Trump\u2019s hand. And I will guarantee you this disappoints them. The only reason this is news to CNN is that they were hoping Angela Merkel would turn her back to him or maybe even spit on him, all because of pulling out of the Paris climate accords.<\/p>\n
They wanted Merkel to punch him in the gut, maybe. They wanted Merkel to call him a pig. They wanted Merkel to insult him or do something, they couldn\u2019t wait. But she offered her hand first. Oh, no! Another embarrassment for CNN and another triumph for Trump. A world leader so far out of his league brought herself down to his level and offered to shake his hand. And we at CNN are distressed.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: Here\u2019s Mike in St. Louis. It\u2019s great to have you, sir. I\u2019m glad you waited.<\/p>\n
CALLER: Hi, Rush. You know, there is speculation that CNN may soon be for sale as part of the process of AT&T acquiring Time Warner, CNN\u2019s parent company?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/CNNPowerOffPIX.jpg\")
RUSH: Right.<\/p>\n
CALLER: I think you should put together a group and buy CNN.<\/p>\n
RUSH: (chuckling)<\/p>\n
CALLER: Its market value\u2019s around $10 billion.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Hee-hee-hee.<\/p>\n
CALLER: What do you think?<\/p>\n
RUSH: First, let\u2019s deal with the factual side. You may be more accurate than you know, although it sounds like you know. CNN is part of Time Warner. AT&T wants to merge and buy Time Warner. AT&T, it is said… There\u2019s a story out today that the Trump administration may actually… This is probably fake news. But the Trump administration may leverage the merger by telling AT&T, “Fine. The only thing you can\u2019t do is buy CNN.” Time Warner might have to spin it off before any merger, thereby putting CNN (which is part of Time Warner) in play. There\u2019s no way in hell CNN is worth $10 billion right now. I don\u2019t care what kind of multiple you use. It could well be down the road. But I don\u2019t know. Ten billion? Buying something $10 billion, that may be not enough money to further my image.<\/p>\n
CALLER: Football teams only cost a billion.<\/p>\n
RUSH: (chuckling) Well, that\u2019s true, but you\u2019re actually getting value there.<\/p>\n
CALLER: (laughs) Well, just the same, I think you should investigate.<\/p>\n
RUSH: I appreciate that. I really do. That would be so much fun. Can you imagine the staff meeting after the new ownership walks in, and the CNN reporters that were there?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RUSH: You will be happy to know that there have been — it's ongoing, no decisions — discussions about eliminating CNN's credentials in the Trump press office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n