RUSH:  Let’s talk about Trump and this secretary of state position here.  And, as always, let’s measure and compare what Trump is doing with all of the hysteria and unhinged paranoia that preceded it.  And, by that, I mean Trump wins, and even on election night the Clintons and the Democrats and the media thought she was gonna win, even as late as 9:30.  So they’re shell-shocked.  They have just been obliterated.  Obama’s policies have been repudiated.  

They have lost.  They don’t have a bench.  I mean, Joe Biden announcing he’s gonna run for president in 2020 is considered big news in the Democrat Party?  He’d be 78 years old.  They don’t have a bench.  They don’t have any presence. You know, they only have the governorship and state legislature in four states.  They’ve just been wiped out.  And so they are in panic.  They are hysterical.  They’re unhinged.  

And here comes Trump, who is not political in the sense of being a politician.  His transition begins and he starts acting like he’s already president, and they’re offended by that.  And then they say, “This is so unpresidential. This is so unseemly. This is just beyond the pale. This is unacceptable. This is not how it’s done. Taking a call from Taiwan?”  They are beside themselves here with the way Trump is violating every bit of behavioral protocol that they think exists.  

And then the names started getting bandied about for secretary of state, and he starts filling various cabinet positions somewhat quickly.  He surrounds himself with his inner circle of advisers relatively quickly, and the first roster of names for secretary of state are all friends and supporters.  And then it expands.  And the friends and supporters seem to fall out of favor, and new people start showing up like Mitt Romney. And Trump goes to dinner with Romney and spends a lot of time saying nice things about Romney. 

Romney was dead set against him the entire campaign.  And then other names.  Jon Huntsman, who’s got ties to the Obama Regime, he was one of the ChiCom ambassadors at one time.  He’s also from Utah, Mormon, in competition, in a sense, with the Romney family.  Throw other names in there.  He picks a secretary of defense rather quickly.  He’s picked Ben Carson for Housing and Urban Development. 

But the list of names for secretary of state is still expanding, and Trump doesn’t appear anywhere near making a choice.  We’ve got David Petraeus thrown in. We got John Bolton.  Consultations with Dr. Kissinger are taking place.  In fact, Trump is leaving Trump Tower today to go over to talk to Dr. Kissinger at Dr. Kissinger’s office.  The one guy who doesn’t make the trek to Trump Tower is Dr. Kissinger.  Trump’s going over to see him.  I got some sound bites on that coming up that are very funny.  

Anyway, have you noticed in all of this, you noticed all the opinion pieces complimenting Trump on the seriousness of his search?  No, I haven’t seen those, either, ’cause there aren’t any.  But how else can you interpret this?  I mean, on the one hand they’re unhinged and they are historical and they’re paranoid. They think Trump has no idea what he’s doing, it’s scary embarrassing, and yet Trump is being deliberative, he’s being thorough, he is taking his time.  It’s obvious that he has a foreign policy, and it is obvious that he’s looking for the right person to implement it.  

Now, the unhinged hysteria types would try to tell you that Trump doesn’t know anything and he doesn’t have a foreign policy and he’s talking to all these people essentially to be educated and to be schooled ’cause he doesn’t even — for example, he probably wouldn’t know the subcontinent is, and he wouldn’t know where Micronesia is, and they probably have to tell him where India is and how Iceland isn’t ice, it’s green, and how Greenland isn’t green, it’s ice.  That’s how stupid they think he is.  They’re gonna continue to make that mistake, by the way.  

They will never be able to admit that Trump is smart or smarter than they are because they are the smartest people in the room and Trump doesn’t have the pedigree, doesn’t come from the right places. They’re never gonna come to grips with this and Trump knows that and I think he’s gonna be toying with them like my cat toys with little geckos that it finds in the house.  You ought to see that.  I have to rescue geckos, at least two or three a week.  

You know what?  I was sitting there, I was watching something on TV the other night, and all of a sudden — it didn’t register immediately.  But there’s this racket going on, on the sofa, right behind me.  And I figured it was just the cat, Allie, trying to get comfortable behind me. But it kept going and finally she started head-butting me, so I said, “Okay, what the hell?” and I got up and turned around, there was a dead gecko.  

She had brought a dead gecko, and it was on the back of the sofa, just inches from my head.  She was proudly showing the thing off.  I said, “Allie, did you have to kill it?  They’re our friends. They kill the insects.”  But she doesn’t know that.  She brought me a present.  And I love those little geckos, I call them little buddies.  But she toys with ’em.  I can tell when she’s found one ’cause she starts meowing like crazy if it has gone someplace that she can’t get; she goes insane.  

And that’s how these people are with Trump.  I mean, they don’t know what’s hit them yet.  He’s being very deliberate with the secretary of state search.  He’s not trying to impress anybody with the speed of his picks.  He’s not trying to impress anybody trying to show them he knows what they think he doesn’t know.  He’s not trying to meet any kind of artificial deadline.  He had an initial list of people and apparently wasn’t satisfied.  He keeps conducting serious interviews with really serious people and an expanding list of them.  

He’s parading a bunch of people in and out of Trump Tower. I think most of the people parading in and out of there are for show, to tell you the truth.  I really do.  I think Trump’s having more fun than you and I can possibly imagine.  I know he is, folks, I used to do the Rush to Excellence Tour the first two years of this program back in 1989 — actually three, ’88, ’89, and ’90.  And when he’s on stage — he’s got another one in coming up Fayetteville, North Carolina — but last Thursday night in Cincinnati, I’m telling you, he’s having more fun than any politician has ever been thought to be having fun.  

He is literally immersed in enjoyment and joy.  He is eating it up.  And I think this endless parade of people parading in and out of the Trump Tower, I think a lot of it is just a show.  The people involved don’t know it.  I mean, everybody being brought in there, they want to be seen, they’re stopping for the cameras, and some of them are walking to the microphones.  They want to be seen.  They want the news out that they have been summoned to Trump Tower.  

It’s the red carpet in reverse.  He’s rolling out the red carpet.  But they’re all making the trek to see him.  The only one who is not is Dr. Kissinger.  (Kissinger impression) “I told the president-elect that the only place I’m going to go is to Le Cirque and if he wants to see me, to meet me there, or come to my office.” And that’s it, Trump’s going to his office. (interruption) Hmm?  Well, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.  But the contrast here to what everybody told us to expect versus what’s happening is stark.  

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH:  So I just checked the email.  “Mr. Limbaugh, are you going to go to Trump Tower?  Have you been asked to come?”  No.  Folks, they only call me when they get in trouble.  

RUSH: And now to the phones.  Suzanne, Blounts Creek, North Carolina, welcome to the EIB Network.  Hello. 

CALLER:  Good day Rush.  This is an early Christmas present.  Thank you for taking my call. 

RUSH:  You’re more than welcome.  It’s great to have you out there. 

CALLER:  Okay.  In reference to Giuliani… (coughs) Excuse me. I have lost my voice and regained it.  But two weeks ago, he was on Fox & Friends in the morning, and the topic of secretary of state came up and a lot of names, his included. And he leaned forward, smiled, and said, “I’m the best qualified,” and as soon as he said that, I thought, “Oh, my. If Trump’s watching this, he’s not going to appreciate that eagerness.” 

RUSH:  Let me tell you something, Suzanne.  Trump watches TV. 

CALLER: Okay. (laughing) Sure. 

RUSH: He watches so much TV, he thinks certain things are popular that aren’t.  For example, Morning Joe.  They got no viewers.  He may be the only one.  But because he watches, he thinks everybody does.  Nobody does.  He sees everything on TV.  He does not delegate people to watch TV for him.  So I’m sure he saw that, and you’re probably right. It didn’t sit well.  He’s the one that’s going to decide who’s qualified or not, and I’m sure that put him in an untenable… If he said it. Did you actually see Rudy say that be was he joking or was he serious? 

CALLER:  He looked serious.  He leaned forward, he smiled, and he said, “But I’m the best qualified.” 

RUSH:  Well, look, let’s treat it both ways.  Let’s say he was dead serious in saying so and thinks thought process is, “Look, Trump likes decisiveness, and I’m gonna show Trump I’m decisive.” But Trump ought not need to see anything Rudy.  I mean, he knows him well, he can obviously trust him.  So if you go on TV and you say, “Obviously, I’m the most qualified,” you’re kind of putting Trump in a dangerous position.  I mean, you’re making it look like the decision is kind of taken out of Trump’s hands or being forced or what have you.  It’s Trump that’s supposed to decide who’s best qualified or not. 

CALLER:  Well, I was wondering if Trump has taken a step back and is looking at all these people who are so sure of themselves, and he’s not talking about them. I do see Newt Gingrich still in the news and he’s still supportive, but I haven’t seen — 

RUSH: Well, but Newt doesn’t… That’s a different story.  Let me — 

CALLER:  Well, I know. He’s not in the running for secretary of state.  He’s already said that he — 

RUSH:  Right.  He wants to be the grand strategist.  

CALLER:  Exactly. 

RUSH:  He wants to be the grand wizard behind the curtain. 

CALLER:  That’s fine with me. 

RUSH:  He wants to be the Wizard of Trump. 

CALLER:  That’s fine. 

RUSH:  Let me ask you, did you hear the first segment of the program today, Suzanne? 

CALLER:  Oh, yes.  Oh, yes. 

RUSH:  Okay.  Well, I think that segment gave you the answer you’re looking for, or at least a potential answer as to what Trump is doing, because you’re observing here that the expansion of people — the list that’s growing — is largely people didn’t support him. 

CALLER: Oh yeah. 

RUSH: I mean, these new candidates are people that did not support him, and so people ask, “Why is this?  I mean, why…?” People that don’t understand this.  People who voted for Trump think that Romney and some of these others, that Trump ought to see them as the enemy. “He ought to see them as the enemy.  These guys do not have his best interests at heart.”  But yet Trump’s talking to ’em. Trump might choose one of them, and I was trying to provide a reason why that might happen in the opening segment of the program. 

CALLER:  Yeah.  As soon as you heard Romney’s name I automatically thought, “Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.” 

RUSH:  Yeah.  

CALLER:  Automatically. 

RUSH:  Well, it’s a version of that. 

CALLER:  Yeah. 

RUSH:  The thing about that is, is Trump doing this instinctively or is it a thought out and strategic move?  And that would argue against it being Machiavellian.  Machiavellian is instinctive.  And you can still be Machiavellian in your strategic thinking. You could, yeah.  Hey, look, time is dwindling here.  I need to ask you, Suzanne with you would you like a new iPhone, a 7 or 7 Plus? 

CALLER:  Oh, mercy.  Well, let me ask you: I have a quick question.  If I forgo and offer that to the next veteran who calls, or is that redundant, would the next veteran get one anyway? 

RUSH:  Well, the problem with that is anybody can call and say they’re a veteran. 

CALLER:  Oh. 

RUSH:  You take the phone and personally give it to a veteran.  You could. 

CALLER:  You are so sweet!  Whatever you say. 

RUSH:  Okay.  I’m gonna send you an iPhone 7 Plus that will work on any cell carrier. That way you’ll be able to give it to any veteran you want. 

CALLER:  Oh, thank you.  

RUSH: No, you’re very welcome. 

CALLER: You are so precious, and thank you for all you do. 

RUSH: Oh, I’m happy to do it. Just hang on so we can get an address where we can FedEx it to you.  FedEx is busy this time of year and sometimes they don’t make the next-day delivery, but everything that we’ve sent out so far has made it the next out.  Yours probably will, too.  But just, now, remember here, Suzanne: It’ll be unlocked. It’ll work on any cell phone carrier in the world, and it does not have a SIM card in it.  You tell the veteran that.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH:  Answering an email. No, I don’t think Jeb Bush will end up in the potential secretary of state mix.  Well, people are asking me ’cause of the opening half hour of the program. Jeb signed up as a lobbyist and that disqualifies him.  Trump’s hiring no lobbyists, and if you work with Trump you can’t be a lobbyist for five years after Trump fires you.