Whispers abound online following a cryptic remark made by Donald Trump during his recent New Jersey rally, with some suggesting it concealed a “threat” directed at witnesses involved in his New York hush money scandal.
In his address, Trump invoked the iconic character Hannibal Lecter from “The Silence of the Lambs,” remarking on the eerie dining habits of the fictional serial killer.
“Silence of the Lambs. Has anyone ever seen The Silence of the Lambs? The late, great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man,” Trump said. “He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner. Remember the last scene? ‘Excuse me. I’m about to have a friend for dinner.'”
The peculiar reference has sparked a flurry of interpretations, ranging from mere oddity to insinuated menace.
Don't Miss
Investigative journalist Victoria Brownworth labeled the statement “bizarre even by Trump standards” while legal analyst Marcy Wheeler speculated on its potentially sinister implications, hinting at witness intimidation tactics.
“I suspect Trump’s Hannibal [Lecter] comment was intended as a veiled threat to Stormy Daniels,” Wheeler said. “But notice how everyone is talking about THAT and not that he elicited a $1B bribe from oil execs?” she added.
Twitter users joined the debate, with @Eventaille questioning the chilling parallels between Trump’s words and real-life legal proceedings.
“Let’s think, who would T want silenced, threatened by a Hannibal Lecter type serial atrocity? Witnesses at his ongoing trial? HOW IS THIS NOT WITNESS INTIMIDATION? If I were a witness I would feel my blood chill, hearing this. I do anyway, this is a threat to us all,” the account wrote Sunday.
Meanwhile, , while @JobshelbyG interpreted the reference as mob-style intimidation tactics, implying dire consequences for those who speak out.
“The reference to Hannibal [Lecter] was mob speak. He was threatening someone to silence them or they will get the Hannibal treatment, out to dinner and ended. Whoever it is they know it. He has talked about this in private and they understand the threat. My 2 cents.”
@HillObscuresVu also chimed in writing: “What if this whole Hannibal rant re ‘dinner’ was aimed at the Stormy testimony, some of which featured how she had been promised dinner and never had dinner food that night in his room in Tahoe. Was it a way to get around the gag order to issue a convoluted threat?”
User @Sharon90275125 wrote, “I think that reference to Hannibal to having a ‘friend for dinner’ is a code of threat to Michael Cohen that mob boss will have Cohen/family eaten alive if Michael tells what he knows! Kinda weird but Michael said he spoke in code .. like Pecker was friend.”
The enigmatic remark has ignited a storm of conjecture online, with theories swirling about its intended target and underlying message, leaving many to ponder the true meaning behind Trump’s unsettling invocation of Hannibal Lecter.
