Bill Clinton has warned Democrats against overconfidence as Kamala Harris races Donald Trump to the White House. The former President veered from his prepared speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and said the party had been here before – with a female candidate facing Donald Trump and leading in the polls. Clinton cautioned that politics is a “brutal” business, and while he wants Democrats to be joyful and excited about Kamala Harris, they must not take their eye off the ball or underestimate their adversary.
“We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen,” Mr. Clinton said.
His speech did contain some humor, however, and he explained that when a US President delivers a speech, it informs other leaders about the values and intentions of that President. Clinton asked what international leaders would make of the endless tributes to the late, great Hannibal Lecter. He noted that Barack Obama described him as the “explainer-in-chief,” but despite thinking about the Hannibal Lecter reference at length, he could not decipher it.
Donald Trump repeatedly refers to the fictional character Hannibal Lecter during his speeches, sparking confusion about what point he is trying to make. Some commentators suggest Trump is connecting the character to open border migration and warning that such criminals are arriving in America, but most are unclear about what the former President is alluding to.
Hannibal Lecter is a cannibal and serial killer featured in the 1990s smash hit thriller “The Silence of the Lambs.” Portrayed by Oscar winner Sir Anthony Hopkins, Lecter is an inmate in a psychiatric facility for several killings, but decides to help a rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster) to hunt down an active murderer, Buffalo Bill. Lecter famously boasts about eating his victims’ bodies, and when mentioning him at rallies, Mr. Trump chooses a member of his audience and tells them, “He’d like to have you for dinner.”
During a recent media interview, Mr. Hopkins said he was “shocked and appalled” to hear of Trump’s references, adding that the movie was released more than 30 years ago so he fails to see the relevance today. Hopkins also appeared perplexed as to the purpose of Trump’s repeated remarks about the character.
