At a rally in Florida on Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump addressed his audience, emphatically denying accusations that his frequent mentions of fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter are “rambling.”
Trump’s rallies have become known for their recurring themes, often including unusual asides about topics such as marbles, whales, and electric vehicles. Recently, Trump has added Hannibal Lecter, a character from the film Silence of the Lambs, to his list of talking points, claiming that the fictional cannibal “said on television” that he “loves Donald Trump”:
“Has anybody seen Silence of the Lambs? Hannibal Lecter. How great an actor was he? You know why I like him? Because he said on television on an — one of the — ‘I love Donald Trump!’ So I love him! I love him!”
During the rally, Trump pushed back against those who describe his Lecter references as rambling, tying them to his criticism of President Biden’s immigration policies:
“Under the Biden border disaster, other countries are emptying out their prisons, their jails, filling out their mental institutions. And I go a step further. You know what an insane asylum is, right? Did anyone ever see the movie Silence of the Lambs? Did you ever hear of Hannibal Lecter, who’s a lovely man? He would love to have you for dinner. He will take you. Many people forget it. Well, yeah, we have a lot of people coming in. They always say, ‘Oh, that’s terrible for Trump to say! He is rambling about Hannibal Lecter!’ No I’m not rambling! That’s what–. We are allowing people from insane asylums and mental institutions into our country by the tens of thousands, and they’re closing down the country.”
Trump continued to stress the dangers he believes are posed by these immigrants, painting a grim picture of the consequences:
“And, you know, the cost savings, of all of the savings? And sending bloodthirsty terrorists, savage gang members and child predators into the United States to prey on our people, to prey on you, to prey on everybody.”
