Donald Trump to Newsmax TV: Rush Was Unique, Great Friend

President Donald Trump lamented the death of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh on Newsmax TV on Wednesday, calling him "unique," "spellbinding," and a "great friend."

Trump appeared via phone on "Greg Kelly Reports" to express his sadness for the passing of Limbaugh, who died earlier in the day from lung cancer at the age of 70.

"We lost a great one today," Trump said. "Rush was just a unique character, and a great friend to all of us. So, we lost a really great gentlemen today."

Trump recalled the announcement of bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Limbaugh at last year's State of the Union Address, describing how sick Limbaugh was.

"He knew a little bit about it, and we had to because he was quite ill," Trump said. "It's amazing that he lasted this long. Only a strong person could have. And he was actually in the hospital, and he came from the hospital [in Boston], and the hospital was quite a distance away . . . So we gave him a little bit of a clue.

"And he was very excited. He was great. That was more emotion than anything else, if you look at it. That was the real deal emotion. Rush was really something."

Trump dismissed ideas of replacing Limbaugh on the radio, saying he was one of a kind.

"A lot of people are mentioning that, and no it's not something I've thought about," Trump said. "He'd be a hard one to replace.

"You wouldn't want to follow Rush. It's the old story, you get somebody like that, you don't want to follow them, because some things just can't be done. He was unique."