RUSH: Andrew in Orlando, Florida, great to have you on the program, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Good afternoon, Rush. I’m calling in, first-time caller. I have a unique perspective on a kind of comment that you made earlier. You were discussing the interview with Matt Lauer, and you said that Trump is okay with a person deciding they’re a woman at two o’clock and deciding that they’re a man at four o’clock and choosing whichever bathroom that they prefer. And the comment just makes me nervous for our party. I think it can be polarizing to the LGBT community, who often votes strictly and solely on one issue, and that’s the issue that they’ve struggled with their whole lives —

RUSH: And this is how it works, folks. This is exactly how it happens. What I have said today runs the risk of blowing the election for the Republicans. I’m making you nervous, what I said makes you nervous for our party ’cause I could be polarizing the LGBT community. Is that right?

CALLER: Yes, sir. Or anybody who sympathizes with the struggles that they’ve had. I don’t understand it, but I have a unique perspective. I have a father that’s gay, so I have to, you know, sympathize in some area with the struggles that they face as well. And so I fear that we’re polarizing and pushing them to go with the Democratic side, and that’s gonna have a lot larger effect on us when policy from Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders gets pushed through. That’s gonna be something that’s gonna affect us a lot more than what sign is next to the door.

RUSH: Oh, so that’s what it’s about, a sign next to the door. Folks, this is how it works. You see, if you stand up for what you believe, you are going to run the risk of turning people against the party and therefore losing the election. Therefore we have to be tolerant of all of this if we have a prayer of winning, if we want to have a prayer of winning the election. And I assume that’s what you think Trump is doing by essentially advocating for the LGBT bathroom issue in North Carolina and Georgia that he’s simply accommodating people wanting their votes rather than stand up for what he might think’s right or wrong. He’s sacrificing that in order to attract voters.

I’ve had this call on ethanol. I’ve had this call on gay marriage. I have had this call on practically every issue that has resulted in the culture war being lost. And this is how it happens. People are urged to be quiet. Don’t say what you really think about it. This is gonna hurt us, don’t say what you really think. It’s not worth it. We’re just talking about signs on bathroom doors here. Don’t make a big deal about it. Thank you, Andrew. I appreciate it.

John in Orlando, you’re next, two callers from Orlando right in a row. Great to have you with us, sir.

CALLER: Mega dittos, Rush, all the way from the beginning. I called with regard to my perspective with regard to Trump’s statement. I’m a Trumpeter. I play the trumpet. I like Trump right now but will vote wherever the R is on the ballot come Election Day. However, I think his message this morning was right on point with his brand for the campaign and the major memes that he’s going after, which is common sense and the establishment.

The common sense meme, what I heard him say, was that if it says man on the restroom and the person goes in and they say they’re a man and they’re using the restroom, fine. If it says female, I’m not going in the stall to check on ’em. So I think he was saying stay away from trying to go into a battle that you may not be able to win, particularly right now, and let’s deal with the exceptions which are out in the wings. Don’t legislate to the lowest demon denominator.

RUSH: I didn’t hear him say any of that, but if that’s what you heard, I’m not gonna argue with you, because that’s what’s I’m learning to do here.

CALLER: Rush, I’m agreeing — can you hear me now Rush?

RUSH: Yeah, I heard you. I heard everything you said, yeah.

CALLER: Ah. Okay.

RUSH: So Trump came out in favor of the LGBT, came out in favor of raising taxes, and the 20-dollar bill snafu, don’t know how big a deal that is. So none of that surprised you — oh, and he came out for path to citizenship after deportation to bring ’em back in legally.

CALLER: There’s a common sense element there that I believe I’m filtering, so, yes, I’m fine with a lot of what he said. You know, I’d like to go charging it like Don Quixote against a windmill but I don’t think some of those battles are winnable right at the moment.

RUSH: They never are. They never are. If they’re not winnable at the moment, they’re never winnable.

Gotta run. Take a break. Don’t go away, folks. Be back right after this.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, I must apologize. I have to admit a total misunderstanding of the LGBT bathroom issue. You know what I thought it was? I thought the people in North Carolina and Georgia were writing these laws to protect women from predatory males. I thought the people demanding to be able to use these bathrooms were predatory men who wanted to have easy access to women and children in bathrooms.

Apparently that’s not what this is about. It’s about signs on the door. I misunderstood. I thought it was about protecting women and children from predatory males. So forgive me. And I’ve now also learned that in order to win people to our side, we have to abandon every position we’ve got. That’s how we do it. I’ve learned a lot today just in the last half hour.