After former President Donald Trump held an "unintelligible" rally in Atlanta on Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign posted videos highlighting Trump's praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the authors of Project 2025, and even Hannibal Lecter, the fictional serial killer most notably depicted in the 1991 thriller The Silence of the Lambs.
The campaign, via the Kamala HQ account on X, formerly Twitter, wrote:
"Last night, Trump congratulated Vladimir Putin, praised authors of his Project 2025 agenda, attacked fellow Republicans for not stealing the election in 2020, glitched, slurred, praised a fictional cannibal serial killer, and rambled unintelligibly."
You can see the videos below.
One video was indeed of Trump thanking Putin for the successful prisoner swap brokered by the Biden administration that resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, along with U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza.
He said:
“By the way, I’d like to congratulate Vladimir Putin for having made yet another great deal. Did you see the deal we made?"
In another, he praised Tom Homan. who served during the Trump Administration as Acting Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; as well as National Border Control Council President Brandon Judd, who participated in writing Project 2025.
Project 2025 is a set of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation aimed at restructuring the United States federal government and consolidating executive power if the Republican nominee wins the 2024 presidential election. Trump has previously attempted to distance himself from it even though many former members of his administration have been involved in its development.
Trump said:
"Tom Homan, Brandon Judd, all of those guys have endorsed me and they say she's [Harris] the worst."
Trump went on to attack a Republican politician and his wife who've not backed his efforts to overturn the 2020 general election results, saying, in part:
"He's the most disloyal guy I think I've ever seen. But think of [his] wife! ... Now she said two weeks ago, 'I will not endorse him because he hasn't earned my endorsement.' I haven't earned her endorsement? I have nothing to do with her."
And in perhaps the rally's weirdest—thank you, Harris campaign—moment, Trump praised Hannibal Lecter, a cannibal serial killer first depicted in Manhunter who spawned a franchise that includes the The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, Hannibal Rising, and the hit series that bears Lecter's name:
"They hate when I use Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the late, great Hannibal Lecter. Look at all that media back there, the fake news."
It was outrageous, yet all too real, and people were quick to criticize Trump for his statements.
Trump's behavior has generated perhaps even more negative press attention than usual in part because the Harris campaign has continued to brand statements made by him and his running mate, J.D. Vance, as "weird."
Democrats appear to have gained a messaging advantage since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race and endorsed Harris to be his successor.
These efforts appear to be paying off: Harris has edged ahead of Trump by 1.9 points, according to the most recent national polling average presented by FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver in his Silver Bulletin newsletter.
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