Rush Limbaugh, Charlamagne tha God agree on George Floyd death, clash on white privilege

Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
·4 min read

In perhaps the most diametrically opposed of radio pairings, conservative titan Rush Limbaugh and the progressive hosts of top-rated "The Breakfast Club" joined Monday to talk about George Floyd and the racial issues connected to his tragic death.

They agreed that police officers horribly mistreated Floyd, with Limbaugh calling for first-degree murder charges against Derek Chauvin, a white, former Minneapolis police officer who was charged with third-degree murder in connection with the May 25 death of Floyd, a black man. Limbaugh also advocated charges against the officers on the scene with Chauvin. All were fired after the incident.

Anger over Floyd's treatment and death have resulted in days of protests, some tinged with violence, in cities around the country.

The death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers has led to days of protests across the nation.
The death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers has led to days of protests across the nation.

But while the conversation was polite but pointed, they agreed on little else, with Charlamagne tha God of "The Breakfast Club," which discusses black cultural, political and social issues, harshly disagreeing when Limbaugh rejected the notion of white privilege.

"I don't buy into the notion of white privilege," Limbaugh said during the chat, which was taped Sunday.

"You're being delusional," Charlamagne countered.

"I think that's a liberal, political construct right along the lines of political correctness, designed to intimidate and get people to shut up and admit they're guilty of doing things they haven't done," responded Limbaugh, who later said he wouldn't agree to the term because he didn't want to "give one iota's of an inch to liberalism."

Charlamagne offered his own definition: "You know what white privilege is? What happened to George Floyd would not have happened to a white man."

Although all the hosts agreed that the actions of Chauvin, who can be seen in video with his knee against Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes before Floyd died, were indefensible, they were miles apart on the underlying causes.

On "The Breakfast Club" radio show, Rush Limbaugh said he thinks white privilege is "a liberal construct right along the lines of political correctness."
On "The Breakfast Club" radio show, Rush Limbaugh said he thinks white privilege is "a liberal construct right along the lines of political correctness."

Charlamagne and fellow hosts DJ Envy and Angela Yee, talked about the effects of white privilege and white supremacy, concepts that Limbaugh dismissed.

The trio from "The Breakfast Club," a mandatory stop for Democratic presidential candidates that made news when likely nominee Joe Biden made a controversial remark about blackness, see police brutality as a reflection of America. Limbaugh argued that it's an aberration.

"To me, and I know you're going to disagree, this is not America," Limbaugh said.

"Oh, no, it's definitely America," Charlamagne said.

"It's not what we can be. It's not what we have been," Limbaugh said. "We're the greatest nation in the history of the world and we haven't achieved that on the basis of…"

Charlamagne cut in, saying America hasn't worked for everyone. "I think it's easy for you to say because you're a white male and that comes with a different level of privilege. And I do think that America does work. But it works for the people it was designed to work for. It doesn't work for everybody else the way it works for you."

Limbaugh then embraced the nation's promise. "It can. That's the point of America, it can for anyone who wants to adapt to it, for anyone who wants to take advantage of the unique opportunities that exist in the U.S."

The joint interview took some odd twists. With so many people calling for peaceful protests, not violence, DJ Envy asked why so many, including Limbaugh, objected so strongly to NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick peacefully kneeling to protest police violence.

Charlamagne tha God, left, Angela Yee and DJ Envy are the hosts of "The Breakfast Club," a popular and influential radio program.
Charlamagne tha God, left, Angela Yee and DJ Envy are the hosts of "The Breakfast Club," a popular and influential radio program.

"This is exactly the reason he was kneeling and protesting," he said.

A couple of minutes later, Limbaugh asked: "If the Minnesota Vikings had announced two nights ago that they were going to hire Colin Kaepernick, would the riots have stopped? No."

"Nobody said (anything) about that," Charlamagne said.

Later, Charlamagne asked what Limbaugh thought President Donald Trump should do to help heal the current strife, saying the conservative host called on President Barack Obama to do more to ease tensions after a white police officer wasn't indicted in connection with Michael Brown's death in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

Limbaugh, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump in February, said the president should try to inspire the nation to help it through these difficult times, but Charlamagne said the president "wants to incite."

Charlamagne asked Limbaugh how he would advise dismantling white supremacy in the U.S. Limbaugh said he didn't think there was much white supremacy "going on out there," acknowledging that was a point of disagreement that could be the topic of a future radio get-together.

"Not if we just going to dance the whole time," Charlamagne said. "If you're just going to have some honest conversation with us and stop telling us things like white privilege doesn't exist and you don't know what white supremacy is, if we can do that, yes."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charlamagne tha God, Rush Limbaugh talk George Floyd, white privilege