Trump reportedly scrapped idea for his own daily radio show to avoid competition with Rush Limbaugh
President Trump as talk radio host? It reportedly almost happened.
Trump last month floated the idea of starting a White House radio show, on which he'd answer Americans' questions about the coronavirus pandemic, The New York Times reports. There would reportedly be "an open line for people to call and engage one-on-one with the president" with "no screening" at all.
The hope for this show was evidently to "quell Americans' fears" amid the pandemic. The only problem? "He did not want to compete with Rush Limbaugh," the Times reports.
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One person reportedly suggested Trump could avoid doing so by hosting the show in the mornings or on weekends, when Limbaugh, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump earlier this year, isn't on. But this was apparently a no-go for Trump, who wanted the show to run for two hours every day. He reportedly made clear that he would have gone forward with the show if not for the Limbaugh factor. Had Trump proceeded, he would have done so around the same time former Vice President Joe Biden was launching his own podcast.
But the Times reports this wasn't actually the first time Trump floated the idea for a White House radio show, so don't be shocked if it's not the last.
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