Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Rush Limbaugh has not slowed down his rhetoric and hate speech despite a cancer diagnosis.
Even the current pandemic was able to stop the talk radio personality.
On Tuesday Limbaugh shared the latest unfounded conspiracy theories about the global pandemic with his fans.
He claimed social isolation and stay-at-home orders were attempts to destroy the economy "under the guise" of slowing the virus' spread. He also shared a conspiracy theory about a plot by Democrats and communists.
The talk radio host took a call where the listener felt President Donald Trump's racist misnomer "Chinese virus" should be replaced with "Communist virus."
The caller said:
"I have to take umbrage with you calling this a Chinese virus—it is a communist virus. Understand that communism is all about moving wealth out of private hands, into public control."
"And that social progress has advanced so far in China that these poor people don't have enough wealth to get the basic subsistence of life. They gotta go out and invent new food sources—they're eating bats, for God's sakes."
"And that virus is now bringing the same social progress to America. It's descending on us faster than the headlines can keep up with it."
"And I'm not mad at the American left. They've been out there for decades, clear about what their mission is."
"I'm mad about our side, for not recognizing this communist revolution taking place from the highest offices of government, media and education. If we're not willing to admit the enemy among us—if we're not willing to prosecute treason, where treason is found—then we should stop complaining about it, just accept it."
Limbaugh responded:
"Okay, well, I'll let that stand, as I know—I'm being inundated with people who have that point of view. That it's not the Chi-Com virus, it's the communist virus, that we're being overtaken, the Chinese communists are doing it."
"You're the only person I know who thinks it's happening without the cooperation of the Democrat Party, however. Most people tell me they think the American left is the worldwide Communist Party now, and that they are willingly subverting this economy and destroying it, for the purposes of eliminating and wiping out capitalism."
"And whether that's happening of—whether that's the design or not, that is happening. This economy is being shut down."
"That's why this is not sustainable. I'm sorry, I'm sounding like a broken record on this, but it is not sustainable."
"Are we just going to sit by and watch $22 trillion—that's the value, that's the sum total of the GDP, that's the U.S. economy—are we just going to sit by here and watch it evaporate?"
"Because that's what we're doing, under the guise of not losing any unnecessary life—meaning we want to try to save as many lives as we can."
"At any rate, I appreciate the call."
You can watch Limbaugh here.
Limbaugh's tenuous grasp on reality or deliberate spreading of lies for profit is unsurprising.
Limbaugh previously claimed the pandemic was exaggerated to hurt President Donald Trump.
He also dismissed the virus as no more than "the common cold."
The book The Tribalization of Politics: How Rush Limbaugh's Race-Baiting Rhetoric on the Obama Presidency Paved the Way for Trump is available here.
