RUSH: Giuliani’s looking at Trump, “We may have a little Reagan here.” Do you realize how that’s gonna tick some people off? Giuliani today, yeah, “We may have a little Reagan here.” Not tiny Trump. Meaning, Trump may have some Reaganism in him. For all the Republican talk about the era of Reagan being over, don’t believe it. Every one of these people would love to be anointed as the next Reagan.
Anyway, Walt in Garner Valley, California, I’m glad you called. You’re up first today, sir. Great to have you with us.
CALLER: Yes, sir. I love Trump because he’s got bucks. When I saw him in that jet which said “Trump” I thought that’s so cool. He’s got guts, and I was just gonna say, Donald Trump is the new Ronald Reagan. I think he can help our country, and he can save us. We need somebody that’s got some guts. Not these regular Republicans. They just drive me nuts. But that’s all I wanted to say, and I love your show, Rush.
RUSH: Thank you very much. Now, wait a minute. There are no other Republicans that you can name that you think have guts?
CALLER: Well, I think Trump’s the best, but Cruz, he’s right there, too.
RUSH: Okay.
CALLER: But Trump, he’s a self-made man. I love it when he stands up for his rights. And I don’t care what he does tonight, even if they drag him off in handcuffs, I’m still gonna vote for him. And I tell you, Rush, I’m just a regular guy, and I talk to a lot of people, and everybody likes Trump.
RUSH: I know. That’s why these secret plans had better be careful. If they drag him out of there, if they grab the hook, if they get handcuffs like you say, it’s only going to make Trump even more popular.
CALLER: Yes, sir. And I think he’ll save our country. And thank you for letting me on your show, sir.
RUSH: You bet. That’s Walter in Garner Valley, California. And, by the way, that’s another thing, too. You know, I said earlier that Trump has some performance pressure, meaning his own supporters have expectations. They want to see Trump be Trump. I mean, they want Trump to do the hammering that he’s been hammering. They want to see it. But here’s the thing. They’ll not abandon him if he doesn’t, just like old Walt here said. That’s why a secret plan to take Trump out, I don’t know what they’re thinking. How are you gonna take Trump out? Taking Trump out means that you’ve gotta somehow convince people like Walt here to abandon him. Somebody tell me what that is.
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RUSH: This is Juan in Orlando. That you go to that you go to, sir. It’s great to have you with us on the program. Hi.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. It’s an honor to talk to you.
RUSH: Thank you very much, sir. Same here.
CALLER: So I’m going to support Trump. It doesn’t matter what he does tonight, like your previous caller said. He is a person that has the guts to say what needs to be said. You know, I came here to this country legally 20 years ago, so why am I gonna be mad at him saying we gotta stop illegal immigration? You know, we did it the right way, and it’s not fair. I think it’s a myth that all immigrants are gonna be against Trump, because the people that did it the right way, they’re against this illegal immigration.
RUSH: Well, we know. We’ve got polling data out there, Juan, that Trump is leading among Republican Hispanics 34-31% over Jeb.
CALLER: Yeah, and I think that’s true. Like I say, he stands up for the country. Democrats, they always blame everything on the United States. The media blames everything on the United States. Republicans don’t have the guts to say what needs to be said, and I think that’s why Trump is leading.
RUSH: You know, I don’t think it’s really any more complicated than that. I think that’s right on the money. Trump is not afraid to say what most people think the Republican Party is. So let me ask you this, seriously. I’m not trying to provoke anything. I’m genuinely curious. Remember when Trump made his comment about the criminal element involved in illegal immigrants from Mexico.
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: And everybody thought, “Well, that’s it! You know, we’ve been wait for Trump step in it, and he just stepped in it,” and then the McCain thing came. “He’s a novice! He doesn’t know what he’s doing. This is gonna run him out of the race.” What did you think when you heard him say that?
CALLER: He said the truth. If they come here across the border, it’s an illegal act, right?
RUSH: Right.
CALLER: We saw what happened to the girl in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago there was another one in Cleveland, and it’s happening all over the place.
RUSH: Yeah, there was another one yesterday or last night that I read about. But even in the last week, Trump has stopped talking on this stuff. This is —
CALLER: I think he needs to stay on message. I think he’s saying what people like us can’t say. We don’t have the avenue to say what needs to be said. He has the avenue, and he has the guts to say it.
RUSH: Well, Juan, I appreciate the call.
CALLER: All right.
RUSH: Thank you. Thank you very much. I always find feedback like that fascinating.
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RUSH: Jay in Columbia, South Carolina. Hi, Jay. Great to have you on the program. Hello.
CALLER: Mega dittos, Rush. It’s an honor.
RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much.
CALLER: Listen, real quick on the Planned Parenthood deal: It’s amazing that the left doesn’t realize that they’re not only killing babies, but they’re killing off much of their future political base: Low-income minority voters.
RUSH: No, they’re not.
CALLER: (silence)
RUSH: No, they’re not.
CALLER: Oh.
RUSH: I mean, they are, but they’re replacing them. It’s called immigration.
CALLER: Well, yeah, they’re being replaced, but still they’re killing off much of them. But, anyway, my point: Trump should be on the lookout for and call out any moderator — I’m thinking Chris Wallace, here — for any Candy Crowley moment and say, “You just pulled a Candy Crowley.” Let’s put it in the political lexicon so moderators will be put on notice in the future if they try that again. If they flagrantly step up and take up for, say, a Jeb Bush or any other candidate, Trump should say, “You just pulled a Candy Crowley.” You know, let’s put it in the political lexicon as to what she so it won’t happen again.
RUSH: You know what I find interesting about this? This is genuinely fascinating. I marvel at how people think, number one. You are still ticked off about what Candy Crowley did.
CALLER: Darn right!
RUSH: You still are unsatisfied with how that’s been dealt with, and you want somebody to deal with this. You want somebody to put the media on notice. You want somebody finally calling them out because you are fed up with their partisan nature and their unfairness, and you think that Trump is the guy to do it. And you’re almost hoping something like this happens tonight, aren’t you?
CALLER: Well, yeah, and that’s one of Trump’s big, huge appeals. Well, first of all, he can’t be bought, but he is not afraid to punch the media back in the mouth, and that’s what a lot of people like about Donald Trump. He’ll punch ’em in the mouth.
RUSH: And what if he doesn’t do it tonight? You know, we’ve heard the observation that he’s in a different mold now, a different mode. In the past week he’s more presidential; he hasn’t been calling anybody names. What happens if an opportunity like you want pops up tonight? What if Donald Trump does not do something like that? Are you gonna be disappointed and think, “Oh, no. Oh, no. Trump’s not who he is, either.” You gonna get that far down with it?
CALLER: I’ll be a little surprised if he doesn’t do it, but how do you treat bullies, Rush? You punch ’em twice as hard as what they punch you, right? That’s how you get the respect. Well, that’s what Trump did to the media person out there. I don’t know where he was, but he said, “No, no, no. You’re done. You’re done,” and he didn’t take any further questions from them. The media, I think, is a little afraid of Trump. They’re afraid to challenge him now ’cause he knows they will embarrass them. He will punch them right in the mouth, and they know it. That’s how you treat bullies. You punch ’em back five times as hard as what they come after you.
RUSH: I’ll tell you what: I’m sure you have people standing up there cheering with this. I don’t doubt it all. Back in a sec.