Trump Compares Migrants to Hannibal Lecter in RNC Speech

Former President Donald Trump sparked controversy once again with his speech on the final day of the Republican National Convention, where he drew a provocative comparison between undocumented migrants and the fictional character Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. Trump’s address focused heavily on immigration issues, during which he made sweeping claims about the nature of migrants entering the United States. He argued that violent crime rates have fallen in Latin American countries because these nations are allegedly sending their “murderers” to the U.S., and he further asserted that many of these individuals are coming from “prisons, mental institutions, and insane asylums.”

In a rhetorical flourish, Trump asked the audience if they were familiar with the 1991 film Silence of the Lambs. He referred to the movie’s antagonist, Hannibal Lecter, whom he called the “late, great Hannibal Lecter,” suggesting that this character would metaphorically “love to have you for dinner,” drawing a parallel between Lecter’s infamous cannibalism and the perceived threat posed by migrants. Trump’s comparison was intended to underscore his belief that the migrants are dangerous, although he provided no concrete evidence to support his claims about specific countries like Venezuela and El Salvador supposedly “emptying out their insane asylums” and sending over terrorists in unprecedented numbers.

This latest speech is part of a pattern of rhetoric Trump has used throughout his political career. Earlier in his campaign rallies, particularly in May, Trump repeatedly invoked Hannibal Lecter as a metaphor for migrants. He characterized Lecter as the “late, great Hannibal Lecter,” using the character’s notorious cannibalistic tendencies to criticize the U.S. immigration process. Trump joked that Lecter would “have a friend for dinner,” which he used to highlight his concerns about migrants entering the country unchecked and unvetted. He has previously described migrants entering through the southern border as coming from “mental institutions” and “insane asylums,” drawing on the imagery from Silence of the Lambs to emphasize his views on immigration.

Despite Trump’s characterization of Lecter as the “late, great Hannibal Lecter,” it’s worth noting that the character survives the events of Silence of the Lambs. The actor who portrayed Lecter, Anthony Hopkins, remains active in the film and television industry at the age of 86. Trump’s use of the Hannibal Lecter analogy has drawn criticism from various quarters. A spokesperson for the Biden campaign responded to Trump’s speech with derision, arguing that his rhetoric has become increasingly extreme. The spokesperson remarked that Trump “has not changed. He has not moderated. He has gotten worse — except now he talks about the ‘late, great, Hannibal Lecter.’”