Bubba Bussey, co-host of the popular Rick & Bubba Show, called Yellowhammer today to share his experience as the emcee of Friday night’s rally where President Trump endorsed Luther Strange, and to chat about the President’s phone call into the show today.
As is always the case with Bubba, much of the 14-minute phone call was spent laughing, but the famous radio host was completely serious when it came to his endorsement of Luther Strange. Recounting Friday night’s experience, he said:
“First, it was a great honor that Luther asked me to be the emcee. To kick things off, we recited the national anthem and pledge of allegiance and had a prayer. After that, we went backstage and were able to spend a few minutes with the President. My wife Betty and my daughter Katelyn were with me, so it was a real treat. What strikes you most when you meet him is that he’s a genuinely warm and personable guy, just super friendly man.”
Next, Bussey told Yellowhammer about the moment he first realized he was live on Fox News.
“The minute I walked back out on stage to introduce Luther, who then was set to introduce the President, my phone started absolutely blowing up, and it was the kind of thing where you know you need to check it. I glanced and saw a message that said I was live on a split screen on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show. I had no idea until I got that message so that was pretty funny that I learned about it by checking my phone while I was already on stage,” Bussey laughed.
“But that didn’t slow things down one bit,” he continued. “I’ll tell you, the crowd was absolutely electrifying. Everyone was so enthusiastic. I led them in some chants of “Build That Wall” and they were on fire.”
Continuing to share the experience of the evening, Bussey said,
“When Luther asked me to be the emcee, I asked him if I could just speak from the heart and he said ‘absolutely,’ so that’s exactly what I did. I just talked about how it’s been a tough election for everyone, and part of that is, there’s been a lot of half-truths, and the real truth has been lost in the campaign sound bites. I shared that I know Luther personally, and what a good man I know him to be. In fact, I knew Luther before he ever ran for public office. Way back then, I told him I thought he was too nice of a guy to be in politics. But I’ve watched how he ran the AG’s office and how he’d been involved in bringing jobs to Alabama in the private sector before that, and I’ve always been impressed at not only what a good guy Luther Strange is, but how effective he’s been over the course of his career, and I know he’ll be equally effective in the Senate. We need someone who can get things done and truly make a difference for Alabama, and I believe Luther is that man.”
Citing a few specifics, Bussey said:
“In addition to working with the EPA on the BP disaster, he went against the EPA on their overreaching regulations. I told the folks in Huntsville the story of a farmer I know who couldn’t re-route a little creek because the EPA said it was a navigable waterway.” “Let me tell you something, I saw the creek, and it was so small GI Joe could not step across it,” Bussey joked.
On a more serious note, he added:
“Just as the President emphasized, I told the crowd that Luther Strange is Alabama’s best chance at supporting the three big items on Trump’s agenda, which are:
• Cutting taxes for working-class people
• Repealing Obamacare
• Securing our border once and for all
When asked what was the highlight of the President’s call into the Rick & Bubba Show this morning, Bussey said, “Well in addition to restating his wholehearted support of Luther Strange, I just enjoy what a fun and personable man he is, which people may not always pick up on in a speech, but that’s truly who he is in person.”
On this morning’s call, Trump inadvertently referred to Roy Moore as Ray Moore. After the second time, Bussey’s co-host Rick Burgess corrected the President and afterward said, “If he had only said Ray one time I wouldn’t have corrected him, but when he said it twice, I had to say something.” To this, Bubba quipped, “That may have been your best two-point turnaround in 24 years when you have to correct the president.”
Count on Bubba to keep everyone laughing, even during political season!