A rally held by former President Donald Trump in a town hall Monday night took many unexpected turns, including an impromptu dance party and yet another Hannibal Lecter rant. Trump’s behavior during the rally raises the question: If there is a minimum age requirement for the presidency, should there be a maximum?
The rally began as any other, with the usual introductions and questions from the audience. This did not last long, and the event soon spiraled into chaos. Trump only answered about five questions from the audience, including the subject of border security and immigration.
An audience member voiced her concerns regarding immigration and its effect on Black Americans as well as the prices of groceries. While he did answer this question, stating that he would get farmers “straightened out,” Trump then went on to use the woman’s inquiry as a segue to bring up Hannibal Lecter, a fictional serial killer from the 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs.”
“And whenever I go, Hannibal Lecter, you know what I’m talking about,” said Trump.
Trump has mentioned Hannibal Lecter multiple times over the years, using the fictional character as a segue into the subject of immigration. These references to Lecter are always nonsensical and seemingly random, usually ending with baseless and dehumanizing claims suggesting that people are coming into the country from insane asylums.
“So they’re coming in, many are coming in from jails and prisons and mental institutions and stay-in asylums,” said Trump.
Trump then seemingly abandoned the hope of seeming like a professional altogether, suggesting that the audience not ask any more questions and instead, listen to music.
“Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?” said Trump.
Trump then proceeded to sway and dance on the stage for 40 minutes to various songs including The Village People’s “YMCA,” which has oddly become a staple at his rallies over the years.
In the 2020 election, when Trump and President Joe Biden were running against each other, Trump was able to dodge the questions and concerns about his age. The roles have now been reversed as Trump is running against Vice President Kamala Harris who is almost two decades younger than him.
There has been a lot of conversation in recent years surrounding President Biden’s age and mental state and how, in the minds of some, it disqualifies him from being able to do his job effectively.
What I find interesting is that the exact same thing can be said about Trump. The man ended his own rally early in favor of doing the YMCA. His campaign focuses more on making a mockery of others than his own beliefs and policies. All of this considered, I think Trump is more unfit for this job than ever.
Trump’s cult-like following blindly accepts everything he says and does as the truth; in reality, we should not be idolizing any politician, regardless of their party or status. While there are some very strong politicians in various positions of power, they are all flawed and should all be held to a standard.
Not only are his policies severely outdated and extremely harmful to so many groups of people, but the main reason that I believe he is unfit is simply the way he presents himself. He is often obnoxious, unprofessional and candidly disrespectful. Having a president who so openly treats the citizens of his country like they are not human beings should not even be an option, but that option exists in Trump and everything he stands for.
Alec • Oct 24, 2024 at 7:42 pm
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