Trump invoked Hannibal Lecter while describing migrants
At the NRCC dinner, Trump invoked fictional Hannibal Lecter while portraying migrants as criminals and arrivals from mental institutions, saying the character made his point. [The American Presidency Project]
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WHAT THE DOCUMENT SAYS
The record.
At the NRCC dinner, Trump invoked fictional Hannibal Lecter while portraying migrants as criminals and arrivals from mental institutions, saying the character made his point. [The American Presidency Project]
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The context.
The transcript includes laughter and his acknowledgment that critics call the character fictional. This records an analogy, not proof that migrants share the character’s actions or that institutions were emptied. [The American Presidency Project]
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Editorial classification.
immigration · demeaning-language · disability
The category concerns a violent fictional-character analogy and institutionalization frame in immigration rhetoric; no medical or criminal finding is made. [The American Presidency Project]
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- Presidential transcript · The American Presidency ProjectTrump invoked Hannibal Lecter while describing migrants — original source text
Paragraphs following “Six million manufacturing jobs were lost since NAFTA”; Hannibal Lecter and prison/institution explanation
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-national-republican-congressional-committee-dinner-3
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