Ew, why did Donald Trump refer to ‘the late, great Hannibal Lecter’ as a ‘wonderful man?’ His latest nonsensical gibberish, explained

Donald J. Trump has said some inconceivably unhinged things in his life, but few are on par with his praise of a fictional serial killer who consumes human flesh.

That’s right, former president and unabashed nincompoop Trump praised the one and only Hannibal Lecter, the terrifying murderer at the core of a gripping franchise from author Thomas Harris. The character was brought to sinister life by Anthony Hopkins across three separate films, and the story was riveting enough to prompt a television series, simply titled Hannibal, starring Mads Mikkelsen in the title role.

There’s no denying the cultural significance of the character, but there’s also no viewing him as anything but a villain. Hannibal is a killer, a cannibal, and a deeply troubled individual. He’s also, according to a former president, a “wonderful man.”

Why on Earth did Donald Trump praise Hannibal Lecter?

Trump makes wild decisions with every breath he takes, so — nearly a decade into his new status as a politician — we really shouldn’t be surprised when he engages in deranged behavior. Still, praising one of the most evil fictional characters in history wasn’t on my Trumpism bingo card, and its hard to wrap your brain around why he’d make such a strange decision.

Trump is a villain himself, so perhaps that’s why he identifies with the disturbing character, but Trump’s latest praise was confusing enough to leave even those fluent in his off-kilter way of speaking confused. The former president seemed to be using a mocking tone during his rally, but his words spoke of nothing but admiration for the rampant murderer.

While speaking on the “migrant crisis” that’s occupied much of the far-right for months now, Trump referred to the character as “the late, great Hannibal Lecter,” and called him a “wonderful man.” He also went on to reference the impactful final scene in Silence in the Lambs, in which Hannibal says he’s “having an old friend for dinner,” and bafflingly congratulated the fictional cannibal.

“But Hannibal Lecter. Congratulations. The late, great Hannibal Lecter,” he said.

It was a wild decision, but in Trump’s world, just another rally. He says utterly deranged things on a daily basis, most of us have simply become accustomed to it. So when he says something as out of pocket as praising a serial killer, we’re taken off-guard, but in reality its just another mindless Trump ramble-session.

The 77-year-old has praised Silence of the Lambs in the past, even going so far as to claim it as his favorite movie. What connection it has to immigration or the border is unclear, but since when has Trump made sense? He was just rattling off every thought that wormed its way into his pea-sized brain, and, at that New Jersey rally, it seems Hannibal Lecter was at the forefront.