In early March, Rush Limbaugh, the progenitor of conservative shock talk radio, took a call from Gary, a listener concerned that the veteran pundit was losing his edge.

Had Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election and behaved in a manner similar to President Donald Trump, Gary alleged, “you would be fricasseeing her every moment of your show.”

Limbaugh, 67, responded with characteristic bluster, mock surprise and a healthy dose of self-pity. Admitting that Trump is “by no means an ideological conservative,” Limbaugh, as is his wont, reframed one of the most powerful men in the world and himself, still the most popular talk radio host in the country, as Davids battling a liberal Goliath.