It was one of those statements where it becomes almost impossible to distinguish between cynicism and calculated fearmongering: “People from mental institutions and insane asylums. You know what that is? An insane asylum is a mental institution on steroids. During the campaign I talked about the great, unforgettable Hannibal Lecter.” With this remark, Donald Trump attempted to justify his restrictive immigration policy - resorting to a rhetorical device that has long become his trademark: dehumanization through caricature. The reference to Hannibal Lecter - a fictional serial killer from pop culture - is more than a tasteless provocation. It is an attempt to portray migrants who have received psychiatric care or suffer from mental health issues as an existential threat. An “insane asylum on steroids” - this phrase not only trivializes mental illness, but also throws fuel on the fire of an already overheated debate in which mentally ill people are repeatedly equated with violence, unpredictability, and danger.
Trump suggests that the United States is being overrun by uncontrollable, dangerous individuals - without evidence, without data, and with no regard for human dignity or facts. The truth is: most people with mental illnesses pose no danger to others. But in Trump’s rhetoric, human suffering becomes a tool of political mobilization. And compassion becomes fear. Such statements serve a dual purpose: they radicalize his own base - and force the political opposition to respond on a level far beneath democratic discourse. Instead of discussing the causes of migration or healthcare for the traumatized, America is once again debating “insane asylums” and serial killers. A triumph of derailment - staged with the calculated grin of a man who knows just how much he benefits from moral devastation.
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