AP
Rush Limbaugh.
The king of talk radio made the admission while discussing Trump's child care and maternity-leave proposals, which have been skewered by many on the right who have characterized it as another government entitlement program.
"Can somebody point to me the conservative on the ballot?" Limbaugh asked on his radio show, according to a transcript posted to his official website. "'What do you mean, Rush? Are you admitting Trump is not a conservative?' Damn right I am!"
He continued: "Folks, when did I ever say that he was? Look, I don't know how to tell you this. Conservatism lost, in the primary, if that's how you want to look at it. We had [Ted] Cruz; we had [Marco] Rubio."
Limbaugh said that he still wanted to see an authentic conservative win the Republican nomination for president and ultimately the White House.
"I wish it would happen," he said. "I've wished it would happen for 25 years."
The radio talk-show host concluded his segment: "I wish conservatism was on the ballot."
Limbaugh is one of many members of the conservative press who has come under fire throughout 2016 from members of the Never Trump movement who allege the pundit helped fuel the rise of Trump. Critics have said Limbaugh and his allies in conservative media did not sufficiently express during the primaries that the now-GOP nominee did not hold conservative views on many issues.