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Campaign rally · 2024-05-11

Wildwood: Trump Praises Fictional Cannibal Hannibal Lecter

Wildwood, New Jersey

About this speech

Trump invoked the fictional character Hannibal Lecter during a discussion of immigration and mental institutions, calling the character wonderful and using a dinner pun.

What stands out in this speech

The bizarre pop-culture detour treated a fictional killer as a rhetorical illustration of actual migrants, without providing evidence for his sweeping immigration assertions.

A fictional character praised
“The late great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man.”

Hannibal Lecter is fictional, making the characterization a peculiar choice for an immigration speech.

Transcript location: 00:34:50

The cannibalism joke
“He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner.”

Trump used a familiar film joke while discussing the real-world immigration system.

Transcript location: 00:34:50

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