'The Five' reflects on the life and legacy of Rush Limbaugh

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'The Five' reflects on the life and legacy of Rush Limbaugh

Conservative broadcasting titan passed away earlier Wednesday at age 70 after battle with lung cancer

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," February 17, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Dana Perino along with Juan Williams, Greg Gutfeld, Katie Pavlich, and Jesse Watters. It's five o'clock in New York city, and this is THE FIVE. 

Radio legend, conservative icon, and American original Rush Limbaugh is dead at the age of 70. His wife Kathryn making the announcement on his radio show today. He had stage four lung cancer, revealed on the conservative trailblazer reveal his battle of stage four lung cancer one year ago, but he continued to host his top-rated program until the very end. 

Reaction pouring in from top conservative voices and former President Trump on what Rush meant to them and the country. 

(BEGIN VOICE CLIP)

MARK LEVIN, HOST, LIFE, LIBERTY & LEVIN: He made it cool to be a patriot. He showed people how to stand up against the tide, the endless tide of tyranny. 

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: There is no talk radio, as we it with Rush Limbaugh. Without Rush Limbaugh. It just doesn't exist. He changed the hearts and minds of generations of Americans single-handedly. 

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Rush was a happy, happy warrior. And so many times, people wanted to just give up on conservativism. Rush was the kind of person who you could turn on the radio and you'd realize, you know something, we're America. It's going to be OK. 

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He is a legend. And to those people that listened to him every day, like, there was like a religious experience for a lot of people. I mean, his fans, they just wouldn't miss him. A very, very unique person.

(END VOICE CLIP) 

PERINO (on camera): So, we're going to spend some time with our reflections as well. Jesse Watters, I've always loved your story about the summer job that you had when you first, I believe, first got introduced to Rush Limbaugh, and the impact that had on your life and one of the reasons you're here with us today. I thought maybe I would ask you if you could retell that story for people who might not heard it and also get your reflections. 

JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: I don't remember exactly what the story was, Dana, but I remember listening to him in college and got hooked immediately, and would make my liberal mother listen to Rush on long car rides. She nearly drove us into a ditch one time during a monologue on welfare reform. 

So, when that happens, I knew something was right there. You know, he said he had a Ph.D. in liberalism. And what he meant by that he really got inside the psyche of liberals. He made us understand what motivated them, the guilt about America's success, the way they use race to divide people, the way they use dependency to push their ideology. 

The insecurity that they had about the foundation of America, and why that insecurity motivated them to try to assume so much power and control over other people's lives. And that was really eye-opening for a lot of people. Also, a lot of people don't understand this, that don't listen to him but listening to Rush was an educational experience. 

Half the show was opinion, but the other half of the show was information. And he used that information to build a foundation for that opinion. So, after three hours of listening, you really felt enriched because his opinion was based upon the fact, articles, statements the Democrats had made, statistics, an American history. 

It was a very intellectually rigorous program, and he answered the question why? And no one else does that. He answered why. So, people left the show feeling confident in their opinion, because it was based on logic and reason. 

And the last thing that separated Rush from everybody else was his sense of humor. The guy had a great wit, sarcastic. He was able to ridicule his political enemies in a way that was pleasant and fun, and it made it conservatism fun. 

You'd turn on, you listen to him make fun of Al Gore or Jesse Jackson, or Bill Clinton, and it made you feel like you are part of something. So those three components, the psychological intuition, the fact-based opinion, and the sense of humor created a combination which was unstoppable. And that's why he was a threat to Democrats, and they kept on trying to shut him down for decades and never could. 

And they said he had talent on loan from God. So, as he opens the gates of heaven, I can hear the sounds of the bump in music playing, and God has some talent back. 

PERINO: Greg, to Jesse's point, Vice President Mike Pence who also was in talk, some people don't remember that but he was before he even went to Congress and of course before he was vice president, said that Rush made conservatism fun, something Jesse just said as well. He was a giant in his career, and a real icon. It's a heck of a lot of work to do that every day for as many years as he did. 

GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS CO-HOST: Yes. I think, I mean, the reason why he was so successful is that there was this idea of what was missing. Humor, satire, a sense of the absurd, and he was basically a one-man counterbalance to a declining intellectual culture. Right? He was the one man standing at the cliff shouting stop but using it with humor. 

I remembering I was working at a mailroom -- it's not a bar at The American Spectator in like, '87, I was an intern there. We used to get these unsolicited articles all the time. And a few of them were written by Rush Limbaugh. 

PERINO: Yes.

GUTFELD: And I remember like just -- you know, but you are not supposed to do anything with them, I'm not supposed to read them, you just put them in a reject pile. And then like a year later, I go that's Rush Limbaugh. That got -- and I used to get his mail. 

But then he -- then he -- within like a year, he gets millions of viewers. It's an immediate success, and it tells you how large that gap was that he was filling, because there was no one else. It was a precursor to Fox. You know, no one expected, I guess Fox News to dominate like it did until it did, and it revealed that what had been missing the entire time, which was like this in this media landscape, no counterbalance -- you did say something about the amount of work. 

And I remember the first time that I hosted a radio show, it was in for like, Dennis Miller, and I was doing it with somebody else -- Andrew Breitbart. We were guest hosting, and we were terrified for three hours. How do you fill three hours? And then you realize, like Rush has been filling like three -- thousands and thousands and thousands of hours. 

PERINO: Yes.

GUTFELD: And he never seemed to get tired. Of course, he made mistakes, right? But it was like, you know, it's kind of -- that is like, it's like being a pro athlete, man. It's unbelievable. He does it that long. 

PERINO: He's the Tom Brady --

GUTFELD: Yes.

PERINO: -- of talk radio. Juan, of course, Rush became -- you know, he didn't even go by both names. He was just known as Rush. he drove a lot of news and he drove a lot of the left absolutely crazy. But I think everyone can agree, very consequential life. 

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS CO-HOST & POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely. I think he's a game changer. He took conservatism into talk radio in a way that no one had. I mean, clearly, when he came along a.m. was dying. Rush Limbaugh was like the one-man solution. You'd start that Rush Limbaugh show, you combine it with the FCC doing away with the fair balanced doctrine, and I think Rush Limbaugh and the lead has made talk radio into a conservative media. 

All the top of talk radio shows these days are conservative, and I think they are basically in the model of Rush Limbaugh. Now he did that, as Jesse and Greg have said, with you know, caustic comments sometimes, ridiculing people. He could be mocking people. You know, he was also great at mimicry. He could mimic people and talk about them in a way that I think made people just laugh, and just made them feel like it was a fun time, even though he was delivering a strong political message. 

And you stop and think about it. He tried TV at times, you know, but it didn't stick in the way that radio did. When he tried -- he even tried ESPN. But again, with a general audience, a lot of the -- a lot of edgy comments, especially about race, didn't play in the way that they did.

I must tell you I've shared a cigar with Rush. I'm a big fan of his top producer, Bo Snerdley. And you know, I think for a lot of people, Rush Limbaugh was bigger than life. But he was a nice guy. I've just got to tell you. 

PERINO: Yes.

WILLIAMS: I never -- I could count on Rush to give a call at times when things were crazy, and much appreciated. 

PERINO: I heard a lot about that today, of people saying that at times when they were down, all of a sudden, they would get a call from Rush. You know, Erick Erickson, of course talk show host down there in Georgia, said something like that. 

Katie, he was also a little bit, I would say generationally timeless. Because you know, you're a younger conservative --

KATIE PAVLICH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.

PERINO: -- you are younger conservative. But kind of, the icon really lived up to his name with younger folks as well? 

PAVLICH: Yes. So, Dana, my great aunt Mary Roby would listen to Rush Limbaugh every single day. And so, when I was with in her car when we were going to lunch or dinner, sometimes I would hear Rush. I sometimes had Rush on my iPod that I would take to the gym in college, and I was at the 2009 CPAC speech that Rush Limbaugh gave. 

And if you listen to what he said in that speech about standing up for we are and telling people who we are, and making fun of himself and being self-deprecating, that really opened the door to the tea party movement and a number of things for conservative media. You can say that his life and his pioneering in the radio field opened the door for a number of other conservative media to really take hold and be successful. 

And I remember being in that room. I mean, what happened at CPAC that year, he was the last speaker of the event on Saturday. You had to go in early and you couldn't leave. If you left, you lost your seat. You know where to seat. So, people sat in there for six, seven, eight hours waiting for Rush Limbaugh to speak. 

And the fire marshal was there freaking out, telling everybody there were too many people. It was packed to the gills and it was so much fun. And so, you know, he made a joke about how he loves when he gets applause, and although it happens all the time, it's still very special for him. So, it was a really --

PERINO: Yes.

PAVLICH: -- good time and I will never forget it. It was great. 

PERINO: Our condolences to his wife, of course Bo Snerdley and everyone that worked with him. May he rest in peace. Conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh dead at the age of 70. We will be right back with more of THE FIVE. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIAMS (on camera): President Joe Biden creating some controversy during a town hall last night. Biden taking heat over this claim about the Trump administration and the vaccine. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The biggest thing, as you'd remember when you and I -- I shouldn't say it that way as you remember, but when you and I talked last, we talked about this one thing about the vaccine, which we didn't have when we came into office, but a vaccinator. How do you get the vaccine into someone's arm? So, you need the paraffin, you need the needle, you need the mechanisms to be able to get it in, you have to have people who can inject it in people's arms. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS (on camera): The president also contradicting his press secretary on reopening schools. Biden saying Jen Psaki made a, quote, "mistake" when she said the goal is to have schools open one day a week in his first 100 days. 

Dana, I think that the biggest controversy is about what he said regarding the vaccines and the Trump administration. He seems to say that Trump left no stockpile of vaccines and no federal strategy for distributing the vaccine. Is that right? 

PERINO: Well, it's simply not true, and we can -- we know that because we were reporting on the vaccines that were being administered in late December all the way through until the inauguration, including, I believe Joe Biden himself got a vaccine during that time. 

In addition, in the morning, and this is quite common. After you have an event like the town hall last night, you send out lots of different people from your administration's team to blanket the airwaves, to try to keep the good times going. But I think they had a pretty hard time today. 

Vice President Kamala Harris on the Today Show got caught up in a whirlwind of non-answers when it came to school closures and re-openings. And then I think Symone Sanders on CNN, a similar thing. And why is that? Well, in my experience, it means that you don't good facts. Communication is easy when the facts are correct. And when you're trying to like skirt things around and talk about CDC guidance, maybe it changed, maybe it didn't -- I think they're in for a little bit of a rough patch. 

I know that everyone in the country seems to be like taking a breather after inauguration, but all of a sudden, now the Biden team is now going to be judged on things that are going to be slightly out of their control, but they are making some promises on COVID that they might not be able to fulfill. 

But also, they are asking the country and the taxpayers to spend a heck a lot of money, a lot of money. And we should dig into that a little more for what that money is going to go for, for COVID relief when the economy continues to do fairly well. 

So, I think everyone can agree, very targeted relief for the people that need it. Restaurant owners, service industry people, you know, the single moms that are out there that had to leave their jobs so that they could be at home with kids because they are on Zoom all day trying to do classes. 

I think that this bill is going to be very, very expensive, and that after this period of everybody taking a little bit of breather, I think the Biden team is about to have a little bit of an awakening in the next couple weeks. 

WILLIAMS: Katie, today the president announced a billion-dollar spending on the virus testing and expanding testing that helped open the K through eight schools and deal with the virus and homeless shelters and increase the supply of vaccines. Because a lot of people still complain they can't get it. What's your reaction? 

PAVLICH: Well, Joe Biden was elected. Because he argued on the campaign trail that he was the guy who knew Washington, that he would be -- he would be capable of doing a better job of dealing with the pandemic than President Trump and his administration was able to. 

And because they didn't give Operation Warp Speed the credit that it deserves, now they are in this place where people are saying, well, you said you were going to be better than the Trump administration, when they are decently good given that they got a vaccine in under a year, which is a miracle, and had a distribution set up with UPS, and FedEx, and the military was involved. 

But now, the Biden team is trying to lower expectations. They've been doing it since they came into office, and now they're lying about the idea that there was no vaccine. There was a vaccine. There are multiple vaccines. There are still vaccines waiting for FDA approval to go out. 

Now is this a tough to deal with? Sure. Is there a prioritization process that needs to be involved? Yes, especially when you have teachers unions, for example, trying to jump in front of the line of vulnerable seniors and other people who should get the vaccine first, and then the politics get involved. 

And so, you know, Joe Biden promised a lot on COVID, and so far, they aren't delivering it when they promised to follow the science to get kids back in school, and to deal with this in a better way that Trump did. And so far, they are far below what the Trump administration was able to do. 

WILLIAMS: Well, Jesse, to that point, the Trump administration points out that the new infection rate is down substantially since inauguration say. And that, you know, Biden has pushed mask, social distancing, increased the supply of the vaccine. Does he deserve credit for that? 

WATTERS: I'm not ready to give him credit just yet, Juan. That was a trend that he took advantage of. 

WILLIAMS: OK.

WATTERS: I did watch this town hall last night, and it was lackluster. This guy is not a strong communicator. He struggles to complete sentences. He stops and restarts and restarts back up again. Sometimes meandering from one point to the next, no idea where he's going, really having a hard time, a difficult time putting together coherent, concise and persuasive thoughts. 

Maybe once or twice an hour, he'll manage a very powerful, strong connection with the audience, or even I say, yes, there you go, Joe. But then the 90 percent of the time, he goes back to just listlessly wandering around and not keeping your attention. It makes realize that this guy must need a lot of help to just perform the basic duties of being a chief executive. 

He's out there bragging that he ordered more doses for the vaccine, like as if no other president would have thought to do that. And then he's out there bragging that he had a two-hour conversation with the leader of China, as if that's something to be proud of, and if that's some testimonial to how great he is able to perform at a level that is strong and vibrant. 

And then he ends up repeating basically Chinese propaganda and says that the Chinese need to crack down, because they are always being victimized by foreign powers. Well, Joe, China has always been dominated by foreign powers. That's actually the propaganda they used to justify their human rights abuses and crackdowns. I don't know why he said that. 

WILLIAMS (on camera): Well, Jesse, let -- well, Jesse, let's take a look at that, and I'll get Greg to respond. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: The central principle of Xi Jinping is that there must be a united, tightly controlled China. And he uses his rationale for the things he does based on that. I point out to him no American president can be sustained as the president if he doesn't reflect the values of the United States. 

And so, the idea I'm not going to speak out against what he's doing in Hong Kong, what he's doing with the Uyghurs in the western mountains of China and Taiwan, trying to end the one China policy by making it forceful -- I said -- he said -- he gets it. Culturally, there are different norms that each country and their leaders are expected to follow. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS (on camera): Greg, your reaction. 

GUTFELD: What he's doing with the Uyghurs, somebody should have followed up and asked him what is he doing with the Uyghurs? I guess Joe is so woke, he sees China's treatment of the Uyghurs as part of their wonderful diversity. You know, who are we to judge? You know, he oddly presented a justification for China putting people in actual concentration camps and killing them. 

And just days ago, I seem to remember Joe Biden condemning our administration -- previous administration -- of separating children from people who claimed to be their parents, putting them in cages. And I remember Biden calling it immoral and shameful. 

And the here, this is actually deliberate and documented evil, and it's like you know, we do things differently, they do things differently, you know, blah, blah, blah. I will add to this, so that's garbage. It's garbage. That's the worst thing about it. That's worse than his mistakes. He basically said -- he basically gave China a pass.

But there's another thing about his answers, the meandering answers. He's the benefit of the medium. Meaning that the media they don't have time to listen to everything, so they edit it for him. So, whenever you see what he's going to say you never see the whole thing. You see it all scrunched down to about there, because no network has the time to play his like, his wilderness, you know, wandering confusion. They have to -- which I just did now. But -- so he actually benefits from it. 

WILLIAMS: All right. Coming up, schools across America pushing some controversial curriculum. Greg, he's going to explain it for you next on THE FIVE. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUTFELD (on camera): You hear a lot about systemic racism in the media. America is systematically racist. And if you don't agree, then you are proof of the problem. It's an accusation that prevents you from mounting a defense, which leads to actual systemic racism in our education system, as a pretense to eradicate hate. 

One New York City school has asked parents to rank their actual whiteness from white supremacy to white abolitionists. How's that not systemic racism? And if you disagree, aren't you also proof of the problem?

Meanwhile, the Oregon Department of Education concluded that asking students to show their work in math class is evidence of white supremacy. This would all be laughable if it weren't so damaging. On global math rankings, America is 25th. And who's on top in reading science and math, it rhymes with China. 

So, instead of lessons and something that matters, we let woke dials gobble up our kids. Then there's the woke teachers who probably never read Shakespeare demanding that they cut him from courses because Willie is a tool of white oppression because he's white. It really is that simple. We could all do it.

And remember that San Francisco school board wanting to rename all those schools like Lincoln and Washington to more woke folk? we laughed but they were serious. They've delayed reopening classrooms to tackle this priority. Now, that's just a few examples. It's way worse than that. 

Wokeness has become the new curriculum, race warfare, using identity politics to give power to a click of petty dictators. It's brainwashing but actually washes away the brains. They're spending your tax dollars to make your kid dumber. Heck, CNN can do that for free. 

So, Juan, I remember we were talking about the SF school board and we just thought like, they're marginal. They won't have an impact. They're actually going to delay, you know, talk -- discussing putting kids back in class and tackle the name change first. That's got to take you off.

WILLIAMS: Yes. I don't think that's right. I think clearly their priority is out of place there. It's about getting kids back in school first and foremost. You know, but again, to me they are marginal in some ways. I don't think this would go in most of the country. 

But, you know, to your larger point, Greg, I think we're a more diverse society than ever. I think you see rising numbers of minorities especially Hispanics, Asians now in American society. And with that comes people who didn't have voice before asking to be heard, but it also puts pressure on the majority population, White America, because I think they're asked to be more aware of how they treat the other, people who are not white in the society.

So, you know, to ask them to think about how they deal with the other it's not -- I don't think racist, I just think it's a different America and people have to be aware of it. Right now, there's a whole lot of discussion about what it means to be anti-racist in the society, and you know, in summary it means being aggressively kind of, you know, looking forward, taking a step in terms of trying to make sure that we all are treated equally. I don't think that's a bad thing at all.

GUTFELD: Yes, but I think -- I mean, I think you might be soft-pedaling this a bit. This is a -- this is more like an indoctrination, Katie. If you -- if you disagree, you're in trouble.

PAVLICH: Well, first, I just want to say that I don't think that the majority of White Americans see people who are different than them as the other. I think most of them treat them as fellow Americans and as their friends and with respect, instead of treating them as the other looking at them differently because of the color of their skin or where they're from or whatever. So, just wanted to put that out there first.

But yes, there is this indoctrination. So, I know we've been talking about wanting to reopen schools but maybe we should keep them closed so that the students are not engaged in the classroom with these kinds of people. 

You remember, at the beginning of the pandemic and a lot of the teachers didn't want parents sitting in on their kids' Zoom classes? Well, this is why because this is what they're teaching in the elementary schools, in their middle schools, in their high schools. And you are paying for every penny of it which is why the teachers unions are constantly fighting school choice because there are alternative real educations that they should be getting, and instead they're learning about wokeness.

GUTFELD: Yes. You know, to Katie's point, Dana, like if you couple this development which has been happening coming out of campuses with the pandemic, this seems like an ideal time for a national rethink on the future of education. What can we do?

PERINO: Well, if you look back through history, anytime there's been a pandemic or a plague, there's always been some sort of big massive change. I think you're looking at it when it comes to schools and education. 

The point you made about the Oregon Department of Education saying that showing your work in math is white supremacy, we are making a rod for our own back. These kids are the future of this country. They are not going to be able to compete. And I know that, you know, young people might listen to this and think oh, what a bunch of old fuddy-duddies. They don't really understand. 

Like, believe us. Like, we get it. It's a competitive world out there. We have to start acting like it in our schools. K through 12 -- I like colleges, funding colleges, and all this stuff about student debt. I feel like we do not spend any time talking about K through 12 and we really, really are ought to. 

GUTFELD: Absolutely. I'm going to try to overlook your foul language, fuddy-duddies, Dana.

PERINO: Is that bad?

GUTFELD: This is -- this is a family show. 

PERINO: Did I get bleeped?

GUTFELD: Yes, we're going to bleep you on fuddy-duddies. Jesse, you are our most woke person at Fox as you know. This can't be good. Dana is right. China is going to eat our lunch in the 20-30 years.

PERINO: That's what Biden said.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: The most offensive thing about this whole thing, Greg, is the school trying to give parents homework. 

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: You are not sending me homework. I'm not taking homework to reflect on my whiteness, my blackness, whatever. I'm done reflecting. I'm working, OK. You reflect on how you can make my son or daughter get into a great college so I don't have to grease the university with a generous donation, all right.

If I want to reflect on how bad my race is, I can watch CNN all day. I just want to address Juan's point quickly, OK. This -- all these stuff, this is an attack on Western Civilization. Western Civilization has contributed so much to the world, the American experiment in terms of prosperity, individual rights, and freedom.

There is no problem with adding more voices to Western Civilization, Black voices, Hispanic voices, great thinkers everywhere. Add it. But we don't need to tear down Western Civilization like math and Shakespeare and Abe Lincoln to accomplish creating more diversity. We can just add more voices. That's not threatening to anybody.

GUTFELD: So, I think for the past minute or two, I've heard nothing of what Jesse said, so I'm assuming it was all good because my -- this thing just happened. Coming up -- I can't hear anything. Climate crusader Bill Gates says we need to eat fake meat to save the planet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAVLICH: Say goodbye to your burger. Billionaire climate crusader Bill Gates says we need to ditch beef to fight global warming. He said, "I do think all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they're going to make it taste even better over time." 

But there might be a big conflict of interest here. Gates reportedly has invested in plant-based impossible foods and beyond meat. So, Dana, people who warned they were coming after our cheeseburgers and our steaks were made fun of and called conspiracy theorists and here we are.

PERINO: Yes. Well, look if he wants to put his money where his mouth is and support that industry, you know, go for it. Maybe that it will work for some people. But his whole book is about his concern about an existential crisis from climate change. It's one of the reasons he's talking about this beef issue. 

Do you remember when AOC put out the Green New Deal and it said that they were going to do the very same thing and it was -- it was mocked relentlessly. And then they said well, it was just a draft. It was never actually in the bill. Like, no this is what they believe. This is the plan. This is what they're going to do. 

I just think that on -- as we head into the fourth night of people in Texas, millions of them freezing, having to figure out a way to boil water because the water isn't safe and they don't have any power in which to boil the water, and a lot of them are also raising cattle, it is a complete tragedy. And Mr. Gates, he is self-admittedly a little socially awkward. He needs to learn how to read the room a little bit better.

PAVLICH: Greg, you're an avid meat eater. Are you going to eat fake meat?

GUTFELD: I'm definitely up for trying because I do have moral issues with eating meat. Basically, we are eating earthlings. So that fact is based on a hierarchy, right? We are on top and we eat everything on bottom. If you're good with that which I am, fine. 

But then you have to eliminate the idea of sentience that these animals are conscious beings and possibly it could happen to you in, let's say, in a million years. Some other being could come out of the earth and be have an I.Q. of a thousand and decide that we're going to be their fuel and then we become animals to them. 

So, I do have -- I do think about it probably too much, but I am having a steak tonight so that makes me an incredible hypocrite.

PERINO: And what did you have last night?

GUTFELD: I had -- I had chicken.

PAVLICH: Juan, the robots are going to eat us first. They'll be here before we know it. 

GUTFELD: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Right. That's what Greg tells me. You know, I mean, I think Bill Gates is a -- is a smart rich guy but he's not the president and he's not a governor. He's a private citizen. And I don't think any state government and I don't think the federal government has any interest in taking away anybody's burger or stake. 

You know, I think that there's just big concern about climate change. You look at what's going on down in Texas, you know, like a once in a century kind of climate catastrophe down there with the freeze. And I think you understand why people are talking, the Biden administration, about a climate change proposal in Congress. 

But it really is about from their perspective change, necessary change, job producing change in terms of doing things like infrastructure, broadband, building uh highways that can cope with the coming of electric cars, doing more in terms of our structure to deal with energy and improve our electric grids, again, to help Texas.

PAVLICH: Jesse.

WATTERS: Well, just because you're rich doesn't mean you're right. History is filled with very wealthy men with horrible ideas trying to help the masses. Just because he has an expertise in one area, doesn't transfer that to another area. Getting rid of fossil fuels and meat, those are dangerous radical ideas and he should be called out for that just like anybody that doesn't have that kind of money.

PAVLICH: He's also a hypocrite which we don't have time to talk about. But up next, more on the passage of conservative icon Rush Limbaugh. And don't miss "HANNITY" tonight. He'll have a special look back at the life and legacy of the conservative trailblazer and radio legend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO HOST: Let me tell you who we conservatives are. We love people. When we look out over the United States of America, when we are anywhere, when we see a group of people such as this or anywhere, we see Americans. We see human beings. We don't see groups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATTERS: America mourning the loss of Rush Limbaugh. The conservative icon passing away today at the age of 70 after a year-long battle with lung cancer. So, Katie, you had mentioned at the top of the show, I believe you were at that Rush Limbaugh speech at CPAC in 2009. Did that bring back a lot of memories?

PAVLICH: Yes, it definitely did. And we're hearing all day today about how much influence he had on so many people's lives. I mean, all the people in that room left wanting to go do something for the conservative movement. And as we remember, Rush Limbaugh and his legacy, I think, in a time when politics is a tough sport and we're divided, I like to remember his relationship and his friendship with Elton John who disagreed with him very vehemently politically but he played at his wedding and they had a friendship. 

And so, I think that if they can be friends, we can all move forward and try to have dialogue. And he said, when it comes to people like Rush Limbaugh who may enrage you, dialogue is the only way. So, I think that's a good life lesson from their friendship for everybody.

WATTERS: That's a lesson that Juan talked about earlier at the top of the show. Smoking cigars with El Rushbo, that must have been a fun experience, Juan.

WILLIAMS: Oh, it was. I think we got along pretty good. You know, I think people also forget, Jesse, that in the mid-90s when Newt Gingrich had his contract of America and you saw Republicans retake the house and threaten Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh was a key part of that, the rise of the conservatives in the mid-90s. 

It got to the point where people were talking about, you know, Rush running for office for Congress. And he turned away from that. And you know what, I think he demonstrated that in fact, you know, talk radio and the media and using the media to stir conservative voters may have been more potent than being a congressman.

WATTERS: Thank God he didn't do that. He probably wouldn't have lasted too long in Congress. Dana, your former boss George W. Bush released a very touching statement today. And I'm sure as he said he was a listener himself on some occasion.

PERINO: Absolutely. And, you know, there were times when let's say that you needed to get legislation across the finish line, what was the last thing you did was the last tool that you had, that was to call into Rush Limbaugh's Show if he'd have you. And he would -- he was very gracious about having the president on. And that legislation would get passed. It was a big deal.

I just wanted to mention. Rush Limbaugh also wrote a series of children's books that if you're listening today and you didn't know that and you have kids or grandkids, they're really wonderful, about American heroes, well- illustrated as well so I commend those to you.

WATTERS: All right, last word to you, Greg.

GUTFELD: Children's history books seemed like something Jesse could really dig into. You know, I have to say that -- I mean, I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Rush Limbaugh. It wasn't that like I listened to him every day, it's that that he opened the door probably for people like me who weren't entirely, you know, the bread and butter type conservative. I'm -- you know, I'm a quirky weirdo and with a bizarre sense of humor. 

So, I think that he helped -- I mean, I don't know if THE FIVE -- I don't know if Fox would be around if it wasn't for Rush Limbaugh. I mean, he opened -- he opened a pretty big door. And I think a real tribute to him is how cathartic his demise is for his critics. I mean, it's like -- it's like if you go on Twitter, you know, you could see people who are -- the only relief they could find from Rush Limbaugh was in his death. I mean, what a salute. They could find no joy in his life. So that's -- 

WATTERS: Yes. And I want to salute Juan Williams a very classy analysis at the top and the bottom of the show.

GUTFELD: Absolutely. 

WATTERS: And that was much needed and appreciated here on THE FIVE, so thank you, Juan. Fox Nation also honoring the legacy of Rush Limbaugh. They have an exclusive collection of shows and specials that are streaming right now. So, make sure to go check that out. "ONE MORE THING" up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PERINO: OK, it's time now for "ONE MORE THING." I have a quick one for you here. So, there is a heartwarming video of a nurse who had some good news for her dad. But she wanted to have some fun. She tried to make him read lips while she played music through his EarPods. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm cancer-free. 

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why won't you write down? I can't understand. 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm cancer-free.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, you're cancer-free. Did you have your pet scan?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: So, Victoria, she was finishing up her third semester of nursing school when she received a diagnosis of Hodgkin Lymphoma. But she continues her studies. She battled cancer for a year and a half. She is now cancer- free and her dad obviously very happy. Congratulations, Victoria. Jesse.

WATTERS: So, Greg posed a very interesting question yesterday. Elevator door opens, a person has a mask on, Greg has a mask on, but the person says no, no, no, I prefer to ride alone as a COVID precaution. Is that the right thing to do? We polled you. Instagram says 84 percent said that behavior is not cool. 

GUTFELD: Yes.

WATTERS: Only 60 percent says -- 

PERINO: Well, Hemmer was in the 16 percent. 

WATTERS: Really?

GUTFELD: Well, Hemmer -- 

PERINO: Yes, I asked him today. 

WATTERS: Wow. Yes. Two people with masks can ride an elevator at the same time.

GUTFELD: I never trusted Hemmer. There's something wrong there's about Hemmer and now I know what it is. 

PERINO: I'll tell you tomorrow. 

GUTFELD: I knew there was something off. 

PERINO: I'll tell you tomorrow. All right, Juan.

WILLIAMS: All right. And the number one album in America today is Janet Jackson's Control. Yes. Well, you say, wait a second. That album came out 35 years ago, Juan. Yes. Here's Jackson reacting to the surprising news. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET JACKSON, SINGER: I want to thank all of you for making Control number one once again after 35 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: The album rocketed to the top after Justin Timberlake apologized to Jackson and Britney Spears for what he says was not respecting them in a system that condones misogyny and racism. So, put your dancing shoes on for the Control album which contains hits like What Have You Done For Me Lately.

PERINO: Yes. 35 years. I'm feeling still in age. All right, Greg and Katie, we'll catch you next time. That's it for us. "SPECIAL REPORT" is up next. Hey, Bret. 
 
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