Like his acolytes, Limbaugh was never really a “thought leader” in the conventional sense. He might have begun his career with an apparent goal of popularizing conservative ideas, often using parodies and hyperbole. But — as he often admitted openly — Limbaugh was not really all that interested in ideas, or as it turned out, conservatism.

“I never once talked about conservatism” during the presidential campaign, Limbaugh told his listeners after Trump’s election, “because that isn’t what this is about.” He was quick to jettison ideas of “limited government” and in his later years stopped pretending that he was talking about “conservative” ideas at all. Instead, he was more interested in triggering the libs — whatever that took…

But, perhaps most important, Limbaugh pioneered a style of disinformation that now seems almost routine. In 2015, he defended Trump’s lie that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey had been seen celebrating after the 9/11 attacks. His defense was a major boon to Trump’s campaign, but it was also vintage Limbaugh. The talk show host conceded Trump’s story was false but defended it because it revealed a more important “truth” — that Muslims around the world hated America.