Rush Limbaugh just received the Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union

(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images))

published 5 February 2020

President Trump used part of his State of the Union address on Tuesday night to praise controversial conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh.

"Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country," Trump said. "Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

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Limbaugh has courted controversy throughout his career — among other things, he called 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton a dog, mocked Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease, and called contraception activist Sandra Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute." The New York Times' Maggie Haberman said Trump awarding Limbaugh the medal during the State of the Union was "a key example of an emboldened president doing what he can, because he can."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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