![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/APP-073018-Trump-Tweet.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAnd that is that if there is ever a government shutdown — which is a horrible, horrible thing; people can\u2019t face the day if there is a government shutdown, and Republicans always get the blame for it. So people are saying, “What is Trump doing? Everybody knows Republicans get the blame even when they have nothing to do with it! What is Trump doing?” I know. But I\u2019m curious to see how many of you know.<\/p>\n
So whatever you will say you wish to talk about today, if you have some thoughts on why Trump is offering to shut down the government, I\u2019d be glad to hear \u2019em. I\u2019m not limiting what you can talk about to that. In fact, I\u2019m not even saying you have to answer it. I\u2019m just saying if you want to give it a shot, fine. At some point, I will divulge the reason, depending on how long it takes for you to get close to it, and maybe one of you will nail it. We will see.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: President Trump yesterday said, “I would be willing to shut down government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for border security, which includes the wall. Must get rid of lottery, catch-and-release, et cetera, and finally go to system of immigration based on merit. We need great people coming into our country.” This immediately sent the Republican Party into panic. Mitch McConnell — the turtle — Paul Ryan and a bunch of others:<\/p>\n
“There will not be a government shutdown! I want everybody to listen me: There will not be a government shutdown. This is not going to happen.” So we\u2019re gonna go to the phones. People want to weigh in on what they think the president\u2019s doing here. We\u2019ll start… Look at this! My hometown of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. This is Sean and welcome. I tell you, great to have you, sir.<\/p>\n
CALLER: Mega dittos, Rush. I want to answer the question about the border wall. So here\u2019s my thought. I think that what Trump\u2019s doing is gonna force the Democrats to admit that they care more about illegal immigration than they care about either border security or Americans. You know, when they shut it down, Trump will say, “People can\u2019t go to the national monument because the Democrats care more about the illegal immigration than they care about your family vacation.”<\/p>\n
RUSH: Okay.<\/p>\n
CALLER: For example.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/RushShutDown-2.jpg\")
RUSH: All right. As they say — now it\u2019s become a cliche — let\u2019s unpack that. So the president is suggesting that he would shut down the government. He\u2019d be willing… He\u2019s not saying he\u2019s going to. He\u2019d be willing to shut down the government. Democrats do not give us the votes for border security. So your theory is that Trump is trying to flush \u2019em out. He\u2019s trying to flush out people who do not care about illegal immigration and the wanton flow of people into the country via the southern border as a means of making more and more people realize that the Democrat Party poses the threat here. Okay? We\u2019ll leave that out on the table. We\u2019ll keep going. Next to Scott in Richmond, Virginia. You\u2019re next, sir. Hello.<\/p>\n
CALLER: Hey. Good to speak with you Rush. How are you?<\/p>\n
RUSH: Good. Good. Thank you.<\/p>\n
CALLER: My theory on this, to get right to the point to kind of compound on your last caller. You know, my theory is with Jim Jordan announcing a couple of weeks ago — and he\u2019s been working hard behind the scenes, as we all know, in regards to this Russia collusion and such. You know, I think this is a rallying call that President Trump did in regards to this tweet, \u2019cause he knows it\u2019s gonna get people fired up. The media\u2019s gonna get to talking, and this is a rallying call in regard to the midterms. If the Republicans win a decent portion of the seats, he knows that he\u2019s gonna have more allies on his side to push through the agenda that he has not yet been able to accomplish that he promised on the election trail, and I think with Jim Jordan as a pit bull in there working hard, he could bury these people.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Jim Jordan announced for speaker. Is that what you\u2019re talking about?<\/p>\n
CALLER: Yes, sir.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Okay.<\/p>\n
CALLER: I think that will go a long way in helping him.<\/p>\n
RUSH: So the president is doing this to position himself to win the midterms — the Republicans to win the midterms — and to help Jim Jordan become speaker?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/APP-073018-Rush-FLAG-WALL.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
CALLER: I believe so, and I think it also parallels into 2020, \u2019cause I think he feels that he\u2019s got the pulse of America down. And I just think he sees they\u2019re on the ropes. And if he could get, you know, more support and a pit bull Like a Jim Jordan in there, I just think — and he\u2019s going for the knockout. That\u2019s just my personal belief.<\/p>\n
RUSH: That\u2019s what I\u2019ve asked. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve asked you for, and I\u2019m glad that you called and got through with it. Of course, I have not explained my theory on this because when I do, then there\u2019s nothing left for anybody else to say. So I will keep the question open and we\u2019ll continue to discuss this as the big program unfolds before your very eyes and ears this afternoon. (interruption) No, I\u2019m not gonna say whether anybody\u2019s close to what I\u2019m thinking or not. That doesn\u2019t. You\u2019ll find out in due course.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: Let me give you a hint. The reason Trump is suggesting a shutdown is because he\u2019s got a strategy that is entirely opposite what we usually get from the Republican Party.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: Back to the phones, we go Tim in Mansfield, Ohio. Great to have you here.<\/p>\n
CALLER: Great to be here. Nothing quite like a Limbaugh adrenaline rush, so to speak.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Well, thank you, sir. I appreciate that.<\/p>\n
CALLER: I believe I have the answer to your question why Trump is doing what he\u2019s doing with the border wall. Simple answer: Art of the Deal 101.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/TrumpOval-Office-Trump-ArtOfTheDeal-1.jpg\")
RUSH: Well, now, you gotta explain that. You just can\u2019t say “Art of the Deal.”<\/p>\n
CALLER: Art of the Deal. I\u2019ve never read it, but I listen to Rush every day so I know a little bit about it.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Okay. So what in Art of the Deal is he doing here?<\/p>\n
CALLER: Well, I believe you said or Trump said you ask three or four times of what you want and you\u2019re happy if you get some of that.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Well, uhhhh, yeah.<\/p>\n
CALLER: No?<\/p>\n
RUSH: But see… (sigh) Everybody that\u2019s called about this has been really, really close. But there are no moral victories at EIB Network, and there is no close-you-get-a-cigar-victory here. You gotta tell me exactly. And I realize… I know you\u2019re not sucking up out there, Tim, when you say you\u2019ve heard me discuss Art of the Deal and ask for three times more than you want. Let me just say, I don\u2019t think asking for three times more than you want is actually what\u2019s going on here. So having said that, would you like to take another stab at it?<\/p>\n
CALLER: Well, I\u2019ve had a second part to it, and so it was Art of the Deal 101 and then also to solidified his base, because that\u2019s what he needs to do, as everyone knows, and I think that would be a second part of that. Art of the Deal and the base.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Okay, now we\u2019re getting warm. The temperature is starting to…<\/p>\n
CALLER: (chuckling)<\/p>\n
RUSH: It\u2019s starting to increase out there. So why would Trump need or want to solidify the base?<\/p>\n
CALLER: Well, we do have elections coming up in a couple months, and he did say he\u2019s gonna go campaign strong for everybody, Republican Party. So I guess you run at a strong pace and keep the Republicans in the House and the Senate, would be my guess.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Well, you know what? You are so close to what I think is going on here, I\u2019m pretty… I\u2019m just gonna say, “Okay, that\u2019s it.” But if anybody else has any other ideas, do not hang up. If you\u2019re on hold and you want to discuss this, we\u2019ll get to it. But here\u2019s my thinking on this. The Republican Party normally blanches at the talk of a government shutdown. If the media brings it up or if the Democrats bring it, what do the Republicans do?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/TrumpTaxWHSideAngle-e1513874349631.jpg\")
Republican leadership, they run to the nearest camera and microphone. They assure everybody, ‘There isn\u2019t gonna be a shutdown,” that they don\u2019t want there to be a shutdown, that they have no desire for one. Because they know or they think they get blamed every time there is one. And what is their strategy in dealing with it. The Republicans — and I spoke of this in the last 45 minutes. The Republican strategery in this has always been consistent.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s the same strategery Republicans try to win independents and their votes. They approach \u2019em and say and, “We\u2019re not racist. We\u2019re not bigots. We\u2019ll work with the Democrats. We\u2019re willing to cross the aisle. We are willing to cooperate. We want to show that Washington can work!” It\u2019s an entirely defensive strategy. They get beat up as racist, sexist, bigots, and so they have to try to tell people:<\/p>\n
“No, no, no! We\u2019re not racists, sexists, bigots. Look what we\u2019ll do here and we\u2019ll do there. Like we\u2019re for amnesty! Some of our Republicans are for amnesty. We couldn\u2019t possibly bigots if we\u2019re for amnesty.” Then they\u2019ll try to limit talk of abortion and “social issues” to show that they\u2019re not anti-woman. In other words, they accept every premise the Democrats in the media put out and then think take policy positions and make statements to try to tell people:<\/p>\n
“No, no, no, no! That\u2019s not who we are.” They\u2019re very defensive. But they really do this, I mean, they really get into gear when the idea of a government shutdown comes up — and they\u2019ve done it here. Trump floats the idea in a tweet that he\u2019d be willing to shut down the government if they don\u2019t get funding for the wall and if we don\u2019t change our immigration laws so that they\u2019re merit-based and we get the best people. Here\u2019s the tweet:<\/p>\n
“I would be willing to ‘shut down\u2019 government,” and by the way “shut down” is in quotes. “I would be willing to ‘shut down\u2019 government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT!” What\u2019d the Republicans do? They had a cow. Mitch McConnell and the rest of the boys went out there and they said, “No way! We\u2019re not… There\u2019s not gonna be a shutdown. We\u2019re not in favor of a shutdown!”<\/p>\n
They did what they usually do. So Trump is taking the exact opposite route. He is saying he would be willing to do it. The key is over what? Immigration. Trump is showing he\u2019s not afraid of a government shutdown — which, believe me, the base of this party loves. The base of the Republican Party… We know now, by the way, any poll shows Trump has 85 to 92% support the Republican Party. The Republican base is Trump\u2019s now.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a bunch of populist nationalists. It\u2019s the mainstream of the Republican Party that\u2019s for Trump, and they hate this cowering before the Democrats and the media over government shutdowns. They hate giving up every policy idea in the face of the blackmail of the government shutdown. So they loved Trump saying he\u2019d be willing to do it over this because the issue of immigration is what got him elected.<\/p>\n
This is about immigration and it\u2019s about border security. But it\u2019s about more than that, because it is about maintaining this distinct American greatness, a distinct American culture and not allowing it to be diluted and watered down with the unending flow of millions of people who are not legally in the country. Not becoming citizens, not going through the proper channels. Believe me, this is going to turn people out in November. You\u2019ve heard…<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know whether it\u2019s true, but you\u2019ve heard that the momentum and the energy is all on the Democrat side. “The resistance is revved and they can\u2019t wait! They can\u2019t wait to get rid of Trump — and the first step of getting rid of Trump is gaining control of the House for the Democrats.” They can\u2019t wait to do it. I think there are probably some Republicans that believe that. So this is an effort, I think, on Trump\u2019s part to ratchet up the energy, the turnout over the issue that got him elected.<\/p>\n
Because, folks, all Trump has right now is his base. That\u2019s his line of defense. That\u2019s his wall. The people that are gonna vote against Trump — i.e., vote against Republicans — are not gonna be bought off with a little policy offer here or a policy offer there. I mean, this is for all the marbles. Trump needs everybody that voted for him for president showing up and voting Republican again. And he needs even more of that.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/APP-060618-Trump-Vs-GOP.jpg\")
Now, you would think that with the economy going so great, that he wouldn\u2019t need to stoke the turnout. But the statistics of voter turnout in off-year elections in a president\u2019s first term, they\u2019re what they are, and the party in power always loses seats. There are some exceptions. 2002 was a big exception. But in Obama\u2019s case, 2010 was a disaster. The Democrats lost control of the House in 2010 after two years of Obama.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what they want to guard against here.<\/p>\n
So this is about making sure that the base knows that this is what the election is about. I think there\u2019s some reliance on the strength of the economy, but people showing up to vote, thanking the president for a good economy? I don\u2019t think they want to bank on that as much as they want to bank on the fact that we could be losing the country here if the Democrats gain control.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: Let\u2019s go back to the phone. Derek in Drums, Pennsylvania. Welcome, sir. It\u2019s great to have you here.<\/p>\n
CALLER: Hey, thanks. So you talked earlier about Trump trying to rally the base and trying to keep his base fired up. But what I think is just Trump is trying to be the adult in the room — and by “the room,” I mean, the country. He got elected on certain issues, and he\u2019s not gonna go back on those issues. He is gonna make the American voters go to the polls and make the decision. And if they vote Republicans out of office eventually, if they vote him out of office, he\u2019s gonna walk away from this situation saying, “I told you what I was gonna do. I kept my promises. Now it\u2019s up to you to make your decision as Americans.”<\/p>\n
RUSH: Okay. So you think Trump is seeking an exclamation point on his mandate?<\/p>\n
CALLER: Absolutely. Why would you go back on everything that you\u2019ve done during the campaign and up until now? And like we talked about, he kind of waited until the economy was booming a little bit to start making some of these big decisions on tariffs.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Right.<\/p>\n
CALLER: He\u2019s doing the same thing now. He\u2019s doing the same thing now with immigration. The time is now for immigration, and if you don\u2019t do it now, it\u2019s not gonna get done. I think the American people know it. Like you said, it\u2019s No. 1 on their concerns.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Well, it is. The people that elected him, it is and it remains. It was and remains. That\u2019s a good thought. Trump puts it out there. So there doesn\u2019t have to be a shutdown for Trump to be seen as still dead serious about this — and if this succeeds in a Republican turnout that stops or thwarts this imagined blue wave, then Trump will have a second endorsement of his mandate, if that becomes the primary reason analysts say that voters turned out in the midterms. Very shrewd of you. Very, very shrewd out there, Derek. Way to go.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
RUSH: Let\u2019s go back to the phone. Derek in Drums, Pennsylvania. Welcome, sir. It\u2019s great to have you here.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/TrumpMandate-Trump.jpg\")
CALLER: Hey, thanks. So you talked earlier about Trump trying to rally the base and trying to keep his base fired up. But what I think is just Trump is trying to be the adult in the room — and by “the room,” I mean, the country. He got elected on certain issues, and he\u2019s not gonna go back on those issues. He is gonna make the American voters go to the polls and make the decision. And if they vote Republicans out of office eventually, if they vote him out of office, he\u2019s gonna walk away from this situation saying, “I told you what I was gonna do. I kept my promises. Now it\u2019s up to you to make your decision as Americans.”<\/p>\n
RUSH: Okay. So you think Trump is seeking an exclamation point on his mandate?<\/p>\n
CALLER: Absolutely. Why would you go back on everything that you\u2019ve done during the campaign and up until now? And like we talked about, he kind of waited until the economy was booming a little bit to start making some of these big decisions on tariffs.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Right.<\/p>\n
CALLER: He\u2019s doing the same thing now. He\u2019s doing the same thing now with immigration. The time is now for immigration, and if you don\u2019t do it now, it\u2019s not gonna get done. I think the American people know it. Like you said, it\u2019s No. 1 on their concerns.<\/p>\n
RUSH: Well, it is. The people that elected him, it is and it remains. It was and remains. That\u2019s a good thought. Trump puts it out there. So there doesn\u2019t have to be a shutdown for Trump to be seen as still dead serious about this — and if this succeeds in a Republican turnout that stops or thwarts this imagined blue wave, then Trump will have a second endorsement of his mandate, if that becomes the primary reason analysts say that voters turned out in the midterms. Very shrewd of you. Very, very shrewd out there, Derek. Way to go.<\/p>\n
BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Rush-Photos-SMALL-007.jpg\")
RUSH: Oh, by the way, we have a montage of Republicans on this threat by the president — not a threat — his claim that he would be open to shutting down the government over getting funding for the wall and securing the border. Republicans are freaking out. Any mention of a shutdown by anybody, it\u2019s predictable, we have a short little montage here of a bunch of them.<\/p>\n
MITCH MCCONNELL: No. That\u2019s not gonna happen.<\/p>\n
RON JOHNSON: I certainly don\u2019t like playing shutdown politics. I don\u2019t think it\u2019d be helpful.<\/p>\n
STEVE STIVERS: You know, I think we\u2019re gonna make sure we keep the government open, but we\u2019re gonna get better policies on immigration.<\/p>\n
RUSH: We\u2019re gonna keep the government open, get better policies. Do you know something else that\u2019s true? You can look this up. You\u2019d be wasting your time because I already did. I wouldn\u2019t tell you this if I was just wild-guessing. The markets do not lose value during government shutdowns. Did you know that? The markets either hold steady or gain. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Government shutdowns do not harm the markets. A little factoid there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RUSH: Now, I know what he's doing. But it seems like the rest of the Drive-Bys don't — and do you know why? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":280675,"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