Rush Limbaugh held the top spot in talk radio ratings; his radio program The Rush Limbaugh Show was been nationally syndicated since 1988. He used to be a kingmaker in national Republican politics, regularly referring to himself as the “titular head of the Republican Party,” but he had reduced influence following a massive ad boycott campaign in 2012. President Donald Trump gave Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom during the State of the Union address in 2020.