Rush Limbaugh was mourned by his conservative fans when he passed away, but some people don’t know how the radio personality impacted many lives. In fact, Limbaugh turned “liberal scorn” into $4.2 million.
Know as “America’s Anchorman” and the “Doctor of Democracy,” Rush Limbaugh died of lung cancer in 2021 at the age of 70. Limbaugh was widely recognized as one of the leading voices of the conservative movement in the United States, beginning in the 1990s.
Former President Ronald Reagan thanked him in a 1992 letter, giving him credit “for all you’re doing to promote Republican and conservative principles … [and] you have become the Number One voice for conservatism in our Country.” However, Limbaugh was widely scorned by Democrats throughout his career.
In October 2007, Rush received an angry letter from congressional Democrats who were upset with his alleged statements about soldiers who opposed the Iraq War. The conservative radio host turned this letter into a four-million-dollar charitable donation. According to Reuters, “The letter, signed by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and 40 fellow Senate Democrats, expressed outrage over what they described as Limbaugh’s characterization of troops who oppose the (Iraq) war as ‘phony soldiers.'”
Limbaugh denounced the note as a “smear letter,” saying the remark he made on his radio show referred to soldiers who “falsified their military service,” the report added. That’s when Limbaugh decided to turn the letter into a fundraiser for the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation by placing it on eBay. Philanthropist Betty Casey purchased the letter on eBay for $2.1 million dollars. At the time, it was reported as the most expensive item ever sold for charity on the online marketplace.
Rush stunned listeners with an announcement when bidding closed. “It’s now official, [the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation] is going to get in excess of $4.2 million because I am matching Betty Casey’s bid on eBay — $4.2 million,” he said. The man behind EIB’s “golden microphone” continued to make headlines in 2008.
“Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh ranked fourth on the Most Generous Celebrities List by donating $4.2 million,” Forbes reported. “Or approximately 13% of the $33 million he earned last year, to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity that helps support the children of Marines or federal law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.”
That was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to donations raised by Limbaugh. In July 2018, it was reported that Rush and his wife donated a half million dollars to the Dana Farber Cancer Clinic in Boston. In April 2016, it was reported that over a period of 26 years, Limbaugh and his legion of fans had collectively raised more than $47 million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Those dollars were used for important research and support for families affected by related diseases.
“Every year I think it’s going to be the year that we finally have topped out and we’re not going to be able to beat the previous year. And I’ve never been right,” Limbaugh said at the time. “I and everybody at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America thank you from the bottom of our sizable beating hearts.”
In December 2019, it was reported that over $5 million was raised, thanks to Limbaugh and his audience, for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a group to support the loved ones of first responders killed in the line of duty. Rush personally donated $2 million. This group had paid off the mortgage of the house that belonged to the family of a slain Auburn law enforcement officer earlier that year.
There is no doubt that one of the biggest highlights and honors of Rush Limbaugh’s career happened on February 4, 2020, the day after he announced that he had advanced lung cancer. That’s when former President Donald Trump decided to award “America’s Anchorman” with the country’s highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, at the State of the Union address. As Limbaugh got a rousing standing ovation, he was clearly moved, tearing up as First Lady Melania Trump tied the medal around his neck. Rush Limbaugh’s legacy is one to be proud of in more ways than one.
