In one of the most emotional moments of President Donald Trump's third State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, the president made the surprise announcement that he was awarding special guest and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom.
On Fox Nation's live coverage of President Trump's 2020 State of the Union, host Tomi Lahren described the significance of that moment to her.
"For many of us growing up with Rush Limbaugh and counting Rush Limbaugh as one of the great conservative voices really of our time, having Rush there... it was such a special moment for him.. it was so beautiful," she said.
"Here tonight is a special man, beloved by millions of Americans who just received a Stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis," said the president in his address. "This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country."
Limbaugh, who announced on Monday that he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, acknowledged the cheers of the audience, smiled and choked back tears, as first lady Melania Trump secured the medal around his neck.
"I had an opportunity to speak with Rush," Lahren recalled. "And it was such an honor to me because I grew up listening to Rush, and of course my whole family, and he's so genuine and so kind and to me such a mentor."
Wall Street Journal Editorial Board member Bill McGurn echoed that sentiment, saying that Limbaugh was clearly deeply moved by the honor.
"The beauty of the moment is that when the medal is put on him you know that to him -- he's a famous man, he's a wealthy man -- but that means something to him," said McGurn. "Probably more than everything else, people can see that. This means something to him because he loves America with all his heart.
"There's some similarities between the president and Rush Limbaugh, Rush has taken a lot of heat for his stand," McGurn continued. "A lot of names, people writing books about him."
However, despite all that, McGurn argued, Limbaugh has made a historic contribution to American society.
"No one has done more to teach the American people about free markets, freedom than Rush Limbaugh," he said. "One of the things that makes his show work, I think, is he doesn't look down on his people. He treats them with respect and he engages them. And that's why people love him."
Fox News contributor and the host of "Reality Check," David Webb, suggested that Limbaugh has been a trailblazer for conservatives in the media.
"Rush went in there when nobody really did this and he opened those doors," said Webb.
"He charted a path," added Tomi.
McGurn agreed, saying "He was an entrepreneur, in addition to everything else."
In fact, Lahren attributed her career to the effort of people like Limbaugh.
"A lot of people who are too afraid to talk about their own values and their own conservatism, or whatever beliefs they hold, listen to Rush and they live through him... and I think we're all sitting here on Fox Nation because of people like Rush. For him to be recognized tonight was a beautiful moment.," she concluded.
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