KEN: Ken, Green Valley, Missouri. Is that correct? Welcome to the show, sir.

CALLER: The name’s Lonnie.

CALLER: That’s all right.

KEN: Okay.

CALLER: Thank you, Ken, for taking my call. Talk about memories. You talked in the first hour about anticipating what Rush would say about certain events. When I retired 12 years ago, they announced that Sarah Palin was gonna be John McCain’s running mate, and I could not wait on my last day of work to get out to my car and find out what Rush thought about McCain choosing Palin.

I appreciate Rush being there after this last election to give us some solace and some security about the future and to kind of bring us back down to earth. So I really appreciate Rush’s words, and I thank you for the tapes that you’re playing. There’s reassurance in his voice.

KEN: Thank you, Lonnie, and there’s reassurance in the listeners, not only to the EIB team, but to fellow Americans. And again, this is not going anywhere, and what the American people have awakened to, that’s not going anywhere, either. And that’s what’s so exciting about this. And Rush is part of that and has been for decades.

And I love the way you said you ran out to your car to hear what he said about Sarah Palin. And then, of course, John McCain threw Sarah Palin under the bus. But that’s for another day. Remember that. Who would have thought?

CALLER: Right.

KEN: Of the two, who would have thought of the two, that Sarah Palin would be the most conservative and she’d be the real fighter, you know?

CALLER: She was never given a chance.

KEN: Well, I really appreciate you calling, and it means the world to us. I want to remind people about RushLimbaugh.com only because there’s so much on it. But again, I keep look at these pictures, and when you scroll down, you can see them. As I’m talking to people like Lonnie or Sarah, I’m seeing these wonderful pictures from around the country, and I’ve always said this.

For years I’ve said this: It’s like a cross section of America, of all ages and backgrounds, and it’s really a neat thing to see. Crash, do we have time here, or do you want me to go into a break since we are live? You just tell me in my earpiece. (interruption) Okay, good.

Then I’m gonna squeeze something in real quick, ’cause I just cleared it with the team, and I wanted to say that when I first started filling in for Mr. Limbaugh as a guest host, it was a supreme honor in radio because Rush was an icon. It was in 2017. It was July. I remember it very well.

I think almost for the first year of doing fill-ins, I would wear a suit to the studio every day, and I think people thought I was crazy. But I just… In fact, I ran into other people while I was around there. And some people’d say, “Hey,” you know, whatever, “Why are you wearing a suit?” I said, “I’m filling in for Rush Limbaugh.”

“Oh.” And then I said to Bo one day, “Bo,” who’s on vacation right now, or on a break, if you will, if you want to call it a vacation. It’s been a rough couple weeks. He said, “Why do you wear a suit every day? You know this is radio, right?” And I said, “Well, what happens if Mr. Limbaugh shows up? What if Rush rolls in here?”

Now, remember this is three years. What if he rolls in — and he goes, “He’s not gonna roll in here. He’s on vacation. You don’t have to wear a suit.” So then I slowly weaned myself off the suit. I took off the tie, and then I went with the accuse Hannity thing ’cause Hannity was in the next studio, which again, was a big deal for any talk show host.

So there you are. I had the blessing and the opportunity to fill in for Rush Limbaugh, and in the next studio is Sean Hannity. So eventually I started dressing like Sean Hannity. Not intentionally. I just said, “You know, from the bottom down I’m gonna go jeans, but I am gonna continue to wear a sport coat.”

It wasn’t until maybe last year or two years ago when I went down and met him in Florida, and then I realized. I looked at the picture, and I said, “You know, I kind of look like a slob in that picture. I should have kept some of my earlier wardrobe choices.” But there I was in the Southern Command talking to Rush, and I was in a t-shirt. He was in a golf shirt.

So I started out in a suit, and by the end… Well, I didn’t look homeless, but I was in a T-shirt. We’ll be right back. End of Transcript,