Former President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in New Jersey yesterday which contained some campaign news. It also helped provide material for social media, comedians, pundits and Democrats when he praised fictional cannibalistic killer Hannibal Lecter, a celluloid villain icon portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lamb.
Donald Trump on Saturday praised fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter “as a wonderful man” before segueing into comments disparaging people who have immigrated into the US without permission.
The former president’s remarks to political rally-goers in Wildwood, New Jersey, as he challenges Joe Biden’s re-election in November were a not-so-subtle rhetorical bridge exalting Anthony Hopkins’ cannibalistic Lecter in Silence of the Lambs as “late [and] great” while simultaneously condemning “people who are being released into our country that we don’t want”.
Trump delivered his address to an estimated crowd of about 80,000 supporters under the shadow of the Great White roller coaster in a 1950s-kitsch seaside resort 90 miles (144.8km) south of Philadelphia.
The occasion served for Trump to renew his stated admiration for Lecter, as he’s done before, after the actor Mads Mikkelsen – who previously portrayed Lecter in a television series – once described Trump as “a fresh wind for some people”.
Among other comments, Trump on Sunday also repeated exaggerations about having “been indicted more than the great Alphonse Capone”, the violent Prohibition-era Chicago mob boss.
Trump also made some traditional political news at the rally.
And the rally was also notable for a few factoids:
1. The campaign and supporters claimed 80,000 or 100,000 attended. Other counts put the attendance as way below that with some saying the venue can’t hold 80,000 let alone 100,000. Trump crowd counts have traditionally been greatly bloated.
2. Trump spoke for 90 minutes and people started leaving way before the rally ended.
3. Trump suffered one those happenings where his speech becomes garbled.
C’mon guys, do you really think this is normal? And how much coverage would you be giving to Joe Biden if he slurred gibberish like this? https://t.co/tIU4Qkuf1E
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 12, 2024
Meanwhile, this is what the crowd actually looked like.
H/T @acnewsitics
That’s more like 8,000… maybe. https://t.co/w7tsyIZTyK pic.twitter.com/bGEUb3jR0a
— Angry Staffer ? (@Angry_Staffer) May 12, 2024
More aphasia every day, as many mental health professionals have continually been pointing out. But hey, MSM, let’s talk about Robert Hur’s report some more. https://t.co/mGmBEl3OsA
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 12, 2024
Watched all nearly two hours of this last night. It was enlightening. He has become profoundly boring, ranting, rambling. Incoherent. The kind of person you would move away from in an airport or restaurant. Will write about the speech. https://t.co/RqScGx19zZ
— James Fallows (@JamesFallows) May 12, 2024
.@realDonaldTrump you know the “late, great” and “wonderful” (seriously ?!?) Hannibal Lecter was a cannibalistic serial killer, right? But more importantly, HE IS NOT REAL. ?????
This is who MAGA Republicans want for the presidency—a man who idolizes an imaginary serial killer. https://t.co/huAqW3LsRt— Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) May 12, 2024
Congressman, I dare you to go home to your district and tell everyone how great Jeffrey Dahmer was so we can see how that goes https://t.co/pMhsSigfrC
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 12, 2024
Trump: "Hot dogs, let's talk about hot dogs. I just had one actually it was very good. Frank Sinatra told me a long time ago never eat before you perform. I said I'm not performing I'm a politician if you can believe it…now Pavoratti was a good friend and he ate all the time"?
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) May 11, 2024
The spokesperson for Wildwood's corrupt GOP mayor claimed 80-100,000 were at Trump's rally — in a space for 20,000 that was 75% full. The truth? You see more people at women's soccer match at Red Bull Arena pic.twitter.com/3PFT8FMJbg
— Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) May 12, 2024
This is hilarious. Listening to this dope drone on with the same nonsense. Almost everyone split. https://t.co/Jg2rwFMphk
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 12, 2024
— SmartDissent.com (@smartdissent) May 12, 2024
Donald Trump doesn’t want you to see this video of his own supporters leaving during his rally so retweet it far and wide pic.twitter.com/6mkmnIxdGw
— Luke Beasley (@lukepbeasley) May 12, 2024
A confused Trump says Chinese president Xi Jinping has “ships circling” Beijing
(Beijing is the landlocked capital of China) pic.twitter.com/WoPLfVlUbU
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 11, 2024
“The late, great Hannibal Lecter.” Psychopath Trump praises mentally disturbed fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter as “a wonderful man”. (Video: Newsmax) pic.twitter.com/fBll5miKgr
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 12, 2024
At a New Jersey rally, Donald Trump made repeated reference to “the late, great Hannibal Lecter” and confused Jimmy Carter with Jimmy Connors—forcing a difficult conversation about Biden’s age and mental acuity.
— New York Times Pitchbot (@DougJBalloon) May 12, 2024
Especially with Trump angling for the Hannibal Lecter endorsement. https://t.co/xBLXw6OrkE
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) May 12, 2024
BREAKING: Trump announces Hannibal Lecter as his VP running mate. #TrumpRally pic.twitter.com/vZCeBDNDc6
— Shock Wave ??? (@SBWheat1) May 12, 2024
That’s pretty much how Trump left our nation after his presidency. pic.twitter.com/TQo3i0lIaO
— Rick Lenzie (@RickLenzie) May 12, 2024
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.