It is foolish to parse Trump too carefully, but in context, his riff on Hannibal was meant as a sarcastic caricature of a Democrat praising asylum patients and prison inmates. Trump is playing the part of a naive liberal that doesn't realize the danger of released prisoners and mental patients, and isn't concerned about screening for them at the border. I watched that part of the speech on Youtube and it works. (Sorry if this context is given in the WaPo article, I don't have a subscription.) The headlines of "Trump praises Hannibal" are like if someone wrote "Alec Baldwin praises Putin" after watching an SNL sketch from 2017.
One of the more frustrating things about Trump is that his more loathsome statements are buried under these riffs. Trump conflated prisons with mental asylums, when they should serve different purposes to society. His statement that asylums are "prisons on steroids" should be more of a controversy than his riff on Hannibal. And it is actually controversial since I'd guess that many Americans of both parties do believe that violently mentally ill people are "criminals on steroids".
Also, isn't Hannibal canonically still alive? Has Biden given an interview proving familiarity with the Hannibal Extended Universe? This is why we need debates.
> Trump is playing the part of a naive liberal that doesn't realize the danger of released prisoners and mental patients, and isn't concerned about screening for them at the border
I watched a clip of the entire thing, I have no idea where you're getting this from. He was just free-associating.
He criticizes liberals (or some vague political opponent) for not taking threats seriously, then he starts a routine where he doesn't take a threat, Hannibal, seriously. I interpreted Hannibal as a metaphor for criminals and mental patients in the preceding few sentences. Trump then praises Hannibal ( a stand-in for all criminals/mental patient that he says are illegally immigrating) which puts him in the role of those that praise or enable that population.
Or maybe he heaped praise on a fictional villain for no reason at all. Who knows.
Hannibal Lecter is predatory and cool, in addition to being smug, elite and effete. He would not be a member of the "be kind" brigade. Not when he has to be carted around in a muzzle, lol.
“other exotic meats” 💀
I like it when people catch ALL the jokes.
Lecter also likes to listen to Glenn Gould recordings of Bach, which is usually a career-ender for politicians.
Good point -- the man is a monster!
It is foolish to parse Trump too carefully, but in context, his riff on Hannibal was meant as a sarcastic caricature of a Democrat praising asylum patients and prison inmates. Trump is playing the part of a naive liberal that doesn't realize the danger of released prisoners and mental patients, and isn't concerned about screening for them at the border. I watched that part of the speech on Youtube and it works. (Sorry if this context is given in the WaPo article, I don't have a subscription.) The headlines of "Trump praises Hannibal" are like if someone wrote "Alec Baldwin praises Putin" after watching an SNL sketch from 2017.
One of the more frustrating things about Trump is that his more loathsome statements are buried under these riffs. Trump conflated prisons with mental asylums, when they should serve different purposes to society. His statement that asylums are "prisons on steroids" should be more of a controversy than his riff on Hannibal. And it is actually controversial since I'd guess that many Americans of both parties do believe that violently mentally ill people are "criminals on steroids".
Also, isn't Hannibal canonically still alive? Has Biden given an interview proving familiarity with the Hannibal Extended Universe? This is why we need debates.
> Trump is playing the part of a naive liberal that doesn't realize the danger of released prisoners and mental patients, and isn't concerned about screening for them at the border
I watched a clip of the entire thing, I have no idea where you're getting this from. He was just free-associating.
He criticizes liberals (or some vague political opponent) for not taking threats seriously, then he starts a routine where he doesn't take a threat, Hannibal, seriously. I interpreted Hannibal as a metaphor for criminals and mental patients in the preceding few sentences. Trump then praises Hannibal ( a stand-in for all criminals/mental patient that he says are illegally immigrating) which puts him in the role of those that praise or enable that population.
Or maybe he heaped praise on a fictional villain for no reason at all. Who knows.
I feel like Trump is exactly the type of Philistine that would irritate Lecter to the point he would have Trump over for dinner.
?
Hannibal Lecter is predatory and cool, in addition to being smug, elite and effete. He would not be a member of the "be kind" brigade. Not when he has to be carted around in a muzzle, lol.
My favorite chichi wine is boxed.