CNN reported Tuesday afternoon that Trump will award Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Trump made this announcement during the private luncheon with network anchors—the same event CNN was not invited to.
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According to a person familiar with the discussion, Trump informed anchors he will bestow Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the coming months. Limbaugh has been a staunch ally of the President’s for years, and dined with him at his Palm Beach golf club over the holidays. Once, during an event in the Rose Garden, Trump praised Limbaugh as someone who “can speak for three hours without a phone call.”
This announcement comes a day after Rush announced he has advanced lung cancer. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a civilian in the United States and was established by executive order by President John F. Kennedy. According to the executive order, the medal may be awarded by the president “to any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1), the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
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The lunch at which Trump revealed his intention to award Rush Limbaugh was off the record, but since CNN was not invited, they broke the news since they had not agreed to the embargo of any details. CNN also pooh-poohed the announcement (because they suck) by suggesting that Trump “enjoys granting his friends the nation’s highest civilian honor.”
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