President Trump wants to give the President Medal of Freedom to conservative talk-radio icon Rush Limbaugh, according to multiple reports.
The president made the statement Tuesday at a meeting with TV anchors, one day after Mr. Limbaugh announced a diagnosis of advanced lung cancer on his top-rated radio program.
At the meeting Tuesday, Politico and others reported, Mr. Trump told the anchors that news of the diagnosis had saddened him and that he had sent Mr. Limbaugh a last-minute invitation to Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech, in the box of first lady Melania Trump.
Politico cited “four people familiar with the conversation” and also reported that two of those people said Mr. Trump wanted to award the medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to Mr. Limbaugh quickly, perhaps next week.
Fox News Channel reported similarly Tuesday evening.
Mr. Trump seemed ” shaken up” by the diagnosis and was noting, according to Politico, that he and Mr. Limbaugh, frequent golf partners, had met most recently in West Palm Beach, Florida, just before Christmas.
Mr. Limbaugh did not host his early-afternoon program Tuesday as frequent guest host Mark Steyn stepped in.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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