Trump makes surprise call into Rush Limbaugh’s show, says some in DC are ‘evil’

by Brett Samuels - 08/01/18 4:09 PM ET

President Trump made an unexpected phone call into conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh’s show on Wednesday to congratulate the host on his 30th year of broadcasting.

In a jovial, free-wheeling conversation, the two spoke at length about the economy, immigration and why Trump believes shutting down the government in September could ultimately be a positive for the GOP, despite little support for the move within the party.

{mosads}

Much of the conversation focused on the pair discussing Trump’s accomplishments in the face of staunch opposition.

“You have a lot of bad people in Washington,” Trump remarked. “You knew that a long time ago. Frankly, before I knew it.

“I had no idea how evil some of them are, but you have a lot of great people too,” he continued. “And outside of Washington you have the greatest people in the world.”

Earlier today, President @realDonaldTrump calls into @rushlimbaugh’s talk radio show to congratulate him on his 30th year anniversary! pic.twitter.com/hoySlKy3fk

— Dan Scavino Jr. (@Scavino45) August 1, 2018

The two men reveled in the low unemployment and high gross domestic product numbers that Trump has overseen in recent months, despite having what Limbaugh called “seemingly the entirety of Washington’s political class opposed to you.”

Limbaugh later asked the president if he has taken to leaning on advice from his close advisers in the White House, or if Trump is “still following your gut?”

“Well, I think it’s largely instinct. I have some great people. I really do,” Trump replied.

The president went on to suggest that he’s still not completely happy with his advisers, a group that has been in a near-constant state of flux since he took office.

“We have some great people, and I’ve made some changes,” Trump said. “But we’re really close to getting a fantastic — really just a fantastic group of people. We have some really great ones, and I think that’s reflective on the success that we’re having as an administration.”

Trump has highlighted Limbaugh’s supportive comments on his Twitter feed in the past, including as recently as Tuesday.

“Rush Limbaugh is a great guy who truly gets it!” Trump tweeted after “Fox & Friends” played an audio clip of Limbaugh arguing the merits of a government shutdown.