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Donald Trump recently referenced Hannibal Lecter, the character created by the American novelist Thomas Harris, in his speech. Lecter is widely recognized from several books, films, and shows, notably the 1991 Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs.
On the fourth and final day of the Republican National Convention, held on Thursday, July 18, 2024, Trump mentioned Hannibal Lecter once again, echoing a similar reference he made in May of this year. In both instances, Trump used the villainous character’s name while discussing illegal immigrants.
Trump’s obsession with Lecter seems to stem from the fact that the latter is a villain who is known for his ruthless and cunning nature, and the Republican presidential nominee often blames illegal immigrants for many of the problems in America. As a result, the former President of the USA often brings up Lecter’s name when talking about illegal immigrants.
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Donald Trump references Silence of the Lambs in latest speech
On July 18, 2024, Donald Trump, the former President of the USA, accepted the Republican presidential nomination for the third time. He delivered a speech, making it his first public address after the assassination attempt on him.
At one point during his speech, Trump said:
“Has anyone seen Silence of the Lambs? The late, great Hannibal Lecter. He’d love to have you for dinner. That’s insane asylums, they’re emptying out their insane asylums.”
He mentioned Lecter, one of the most iconic villains of cinema, in relation to illegal immigrants. As reported by Forbes on July 19, 2024, Trump alleged that countries like Venezuela and El Salvador were “emptying out their insane asylums” and sending terrorists “at numbers that we’ve never seen before.”
This is not the first time he has made such a comparison. In May of this year, he referenced Lecter's cannibalistic nature while talking about illegal immigrants. Euronews reported on July 19, 2024, that the former president has made similar comments in other speeches as well.
According to these reports, the former President has repeatedly alleged that migrants entering from the southern border of the US actually come “from mental institutions, insane asylums…you know, insane asylums, that’s Silence of the Lambs stuff.”
The former President has often characterized Lecter as “the late, great Hannibal Lecter,” adding, “He’s a wonderful man.” It is apparent that the 45th President of the USA is quite fascinated by Lecter.
Notably, his term was marked by strict laws against illegal immigration, resulting in forced deportations in some cases since the act was deemed criminal. Thus, his tendency to equate illegal immigrants with Lecter is an indirect reference to his own crime policies.
Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs
Lecter appears in many books and movies, not just in Silence of the Lambs, but this is the movie that consistently comes up in Trump’s speeches. Anthony Hopkins played the character in the 1991 movie, winning the Best Actor award at the Oscars that year.
In the movie, Lecter is a highly dangerous but charismatic serial killer. A former psychiatrist, he is in prison at the beginning of the film for his cannibalistic and homicidal tendencies. The young FBI trainee, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), takes his help to catch a new serial killer who is at large.
By the end of the film, Lecter ends up escaping the prison. Moreover, he is not dead. Thus, he is not “late,” as the Republican claims. Further, the actor who portrayed Lecter in the movie, Hopkins, is also alive and continues to work in new films.
On July 16, 2024, Deadline spoke with Anthony Hopkins about the Republican presidential candidate's obsession with Lecter. The legendary actor remarked, laughing:
“Hannibal, that’s a long time ago that movie. God, that was over 30 years ago. I’m shocked and appalled what you’ve told me about Trump.”
Silence of the Lambs: Streaming options and cast
The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The cast includes:
- Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling
- Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter
- Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford
- Ted Levine as Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb
- Anthony Heald as Dr. Frederick Chilton
- Brooke Smith as Catherine Martin
- Diane Baker as U.S. Senator Ruth Martin
- Kasi Lemmons as Ardelia Mapp
Hannibal Lecter is one of the most iconic villains in cinema and has been portrayed by such famous actors as Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox, and Mads Mikkelsen, among others.
