WASHINGTON (AP) – Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. President Donald Trump presented the award during the State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
The 69-year old Limbaugh, is a staunch Trump supporter. He announced Monday he is battling advanced lung cancer. A bearded Limbaugh, seated next to first lady Melania Trump, looked stunned as the president announced the award. He eventually stood and saluted Trump and offered a thumbs-up to Republicans in the House chamber.
JUST IN: President Trump honors Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during #SOTU address: "Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country."
The conservative radio host announced this week that he is battling lung cancer. https://t.co/z21h5Ddt05 pic.twitter.com/aNHL7YFNND— ABC News (@ABC) February 5, 2020
Limbaugh had been experiencing shortness of breath that he initially thought might be heart-related but turned out to be cancer. Limbaugh’s national prominence began in 1988, when his first national radio show launched. Within a few years he was considered a Republican kingmaker, a status that has remained. He now broadcasts primarily from West Palm Beach, Florida.