President Donald Trump paid tribute to conservative radio legend Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday, marking five years since the golden microphone went silent.
Trump posted a video from the Oval Office to Truth Social remembering the man who revolutionized talk radio and gave voice to millions of conservatives across America.
“Well, this is the fifth anniversary of the loss of a really great man, a great conservative, somebody that loved our country, loved his family, loved a lot of things, but he was a friend of mine, Rush Limbaugh,” Trump said in the video.
Rush Limbaugh died February 17, 2021, at age 70 after a yearlong battle with stage four lung cancer.
Trump recalled the early days of his 2016 presidential campaign when Limbaugh endorsed him without the two ever having met.
“I’d never met Rush when I announced that I was running. I’ll never forget, 2015, and I got a call, all excited that Rush Limbaugh just endorsed you,” Trump said. “I never met him.”
“I came down the escalator with, now, our First Lady, and he thought it was great, and he endorsed me, and then I got to know him, and I realized what a great guy he was,” Trump said.
The president quoted Fox News host Sean Hannity, who has often said there will never be another Rush Limbaugh.
“But it’s five years that we miss Rush,” Trump said. “As Sean Hannity would often say, there will never be another Rush Limbaugh. So to his family, his great wife and family, I just want to say, we miss you all. We miss him, and there’ll never be anybody like him. Thank you very much.”
Take a look –
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump just delivered a powerful tribute to Rush Limbaugh on the fifth anniversary of his passing 🇺🇸
“Today marks five years since we lost a truly great man — a great conservative, a patriot who loved his country, loved his family… and he was a friend of… pic.twitter.com/v4KNmc3asT
— ᶠᵃⁿ Karoline Leavitt (@KLeavitNews) February 18, 2026
Limbaugh’s longtime producer James Golden, known professionally as “Bo Snerdley,” posted his own tribute Tuesday.
“He broke wide open – the media ‘dam’ that suppressed the voices and values of almost half the country,” Golden wrote. “The ‘silent majority’ through Rush Limbaugh, found its voice.”
The Rush Limbaugh Show first went national in August 1988, starting with 56 stations. Within five years, it became the most popular talk show on radio.
By 2019, Limbaugh’s show reached an estimated 15.5 million listeners weekly across nearly 600 stations, making it the most-listened-to radio program in America.
Limbaugh pioneered conservative talk radio at a time when most major media outlets leaned left. His three-hour daily show featured conservative political commentary without guests or interviews—just Rush and his callers, known as “dittoheads.”
The show became a launching pad for other conservative voices. Former guest hosts including Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and others went on to host their own nationally syndicated programs.