That's simply not true.
We all know that Rush was pulling for Trump, but he NOT ONCE, ever reported or stated anything in the way of an endorsement, prior to the Convention.
He said TODAY that he 'knew' more than a year ago, that "Trump could possibly win this.....", but as a caller reminded us all today...
Even though we know where Rush's ideology falls, he NEVER lets that sway his conclusions when he states his POV on a matter or event.
IOW, he does what the everyday journalist did, Lord knows, how many eons ago...He REPORTED, without giving away his political leanings. That's a foreign concept today.
I agree with everything in your post except for your first sentence.
Rush schmoozed over Trump's extremely hard-line positions by saying Trump's stated intentions are just part of his nature as a
negotiator. Rush said, in effect, "That's okay. It's all in his book
The Art of the Deal."
But it ain't okay. If you read
The Art of the Deal thoughtfully, you will discover that Trump is not just a tough negotiator. He talks about driving hard bargains--which does include making some tactical compromises, of course; however, once the deals are sealed, Trump ordinarily
reneges on them if he believes he can get away with it--
having planned all along to
CHEAT his contractors and vendors.
I have not listened to Rush since that broadcast. He was defending a New York liberal for lying all the time. (Besides, campaigning for office should be mostly about
not making deals. It should primarily be about rock-ribbed integrity.)
(A while back, I warned some of my Trump-oriented colleagues that Trump would
not drain the swamp. I predicted that he would/will surely skim some of the scum off the top, but Trump is a big part of the swamp. My colleagues have been saddened to see my warnings start coming true. They have even expressed astonishment at my prescience. I responded that they got suckered by an expert seducer. I pointed out that they were just delighting in an over-the-top a-hole [as one Trumper had cheerfully admitted to me during the primaries]. I left unsaid that their own prior enthusiasm for Trump condemns them. The fact that most of us NeverTrumpers hoped he would beat HRC is beside the point. I danged sure never voted for him.)