Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh recently spoke to The Breakfast Club hosts Charlamagne tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee, Breitbart reported. In a clip from the pre-taped appearance, he spoke on the death of George Floyd and the concept of “white privilege.”
“The George Floyd story is being lost,” Limbaugh said. “There are two things happening in America, and it sickens me what happened to him. Legitimate national outrage about a policeman’s criminal brutality has been hijacked.”
Limbaugh said he doesn’t want to “forget about George Floyd” and claimed his death during his arrest “sickened” him.
“I don’t want what to forget about George Floyd. What happened to George Floyd sickened me. I wanted to reach out and tell you all this. I wanted to make sure you have no doubt —and I’m not the only American who feels that way, the senselessness of it.”
Charlamagne asked Limbaugh if he would use his white privilege to battle the prejudice that he believes lead to Floyd’s death and noted that the radio host has a “direct line” to President Donald Trump.
“Now wait a minute. I don’t buy into the notion of white privilege,” Limbaugh said, which prompted Charlamagne to call him “delusional.”
Limbaugh pushed back and argued that the notion of white privilege is a “liberal construct” that runs parallel to political correctness. He claims it is used to intimidate people into silence and admit guilt for things they weren’t responsible for.
In response, Charlamagne pointed to Floyd’s death — white former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is accused of murdering him — and claimed that the incident would not have happened to a white person. According to Limbaugh, if Floyd were white, the incident would not likely have received significant media coverage.
As reported by CNN, the topic resurfaced at the end of the interview when Limbaugh pushed back against Charlamagne’s claim that white people receive better treatment in America. The conservative host argued that he has been “mistreated” by individuals, groups, and companies throughout his life, claiming he had been fired nine times throughout his career, had his car keyed, and had his tires blown. But when Charlamagne pressed Limbaugh on mistreatment at the hands of the police, he admitted he had not experienced any.
“No, that kind of stuff has never happened to me, I’ll grant you,” he said, although he subsequently backtracked his statement.
Limbaugh previously expressed his dismay at Floyd’s death and expressed sympathy with the Minneapolis looters, noting the visceral outrage that is driving their behavior.