Former President Donald Trump went off on a truly bizarre tangent in which he praised one of the most disturbed fictional serial killers in the history of cinema as “a wonderful man.”
The confusing moment happened during Trump’s rally in Wildwood, NJ on Saturday — as part of a rant in which he claimed other countries are “emptying out their mental institutions” into the United States.
“They’re emptying out their mental institutions into the United States, our beautiful country,” Trump said. “And now the prison populations all over the world are down. They don’t want to report that the mental institution population is down because they’re taking people from insane asylums and from mental institutions. You know what the difference is, right? An insane asylum is a mental institution on steroids.”
And that led to a shocking aside about the classic 1991 film — and the terrifying antagonist, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, who ate his victims after killing them.
“Silence of the Lambs. Has anyone ever seen The Silence of the Lambs? The late, great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man. He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner. Remember the last scene? “Excuse me. I’m about to have a friend for dinner,” as this poor doctor walked by. ‘I’m about to have a friend for dinner.’ But Hannibal Lecter. Congratulations. The late, great Hannibal Lecter.”
Trump has brought up The Silence of the Lambs before during a rally. At CPAC this past February, Trump said, “They came from mental institutions and insane asylums. No, they’re not the same. An insane asylum is a mental institution on steroids, OK? It’s Silence of the Lambs, OK?. You know that. Hannibal Lecter! They’re all being deposited into our country.”
But he didn’t praise the cannibal as a “great” and “wonderful man” during that prior rant.
Watch above, via Newsmax.
