Rush Limbaugh Credits POTUS For National Title Game’s Big Ratings: ‘Support For Trump Was Overwhelming’
Last night, President Donald Trump showed up to watch (part of) the college football championship game between Alabama and Georgia, taking the field before the start of the contest to take part in the playing of the national anthem. The way conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh sees it, Trump’s appearance at the game was the reason ESPN saw a big ratings bump for the exciting national championship that went to an overtime finish.
During today’s broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show, Limbaugh tried to make the case that Trump placing his hand on his heart and (attempting) to sing the Star-Spangled Banner brought more eyeballs to the game. Furthermore, he claimed that ratings were down for this past weekend’s NFL playoff games and the Golden Globes because they represent liberalism and a disrespect for the country.
“The support for Trump was overwhelming,” Limbaugh declared. “And ESPN’s televising this thing and it just had to destroy them to see Trump show up and then to have this kind of reception. And this kind of support that he got.”
(While Rush said he didn’t hear any boos from the crowd, it has been reported that there was a decent percentage of the audience that jeered the president. Of course, Limbaugh dismissed those reports due to it coming from the “Drive-By Media.”)
“And they find out after the game last night that the college football ratings were through the roof,” he exclaimed. “Meanwhile, ratings for the NFL Wild-Card weekend were down double-digit — percentage-wise — all four games, Saturday and Sunday.”
Limbaugh added that this illustrated “Trump in a microcosm,” insisting the increased ratings for the college football championship was due to the game and Trump not showing any disrespect for the American flag and national anthem. He went on to trash both the Golden Globes and NFL, stating that their “plummeting ratings” is due to Hollywood not understanding the “forgotten people of flyover country.”
UPDATE 3:45 PM ET: Later on his show today, Limbaugh took issue with Mediaite’s article on his comments. He asserted that he never credited the president for the game’s ratings going “through the roof,” saying he “did no such thing.”
“They’re trying to say in this story that at the opening of this program that people watched that game in record numbers because Trump showed up during the national anthem on the 40-year line,” Limbaugh added.
You can hear him make his case below:
Listen to the original clip at the top of the page, via KMOX 1120.
[image via screengrab]
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