Donald Talks About Lara Trump to Disprove Cognitive Decline Before Moving Onto Hannibal Lecter

At a recent rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, former President Donald Trump took a different path to put down negative perceptions of his cognitive abilities. The event was a blend of policy talk and some offbeat moments, showing off Trump's usual way of speaking and his ongoing clash with critics. Early in the speech, Trump abruptly shifted gears while discussing inflation. "As vice president, [Harris] cast the tie-breaking votes that created the worst inflation in a half a century, decimating middle-class families and hurting very badly as you know all people in North Carolina, and by the way, Lara says hello," he said.

This sudden mention of his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, led to an unexpected defense of his cognitive abilities. "Lara. Do we love Lara? How good is Lara? She is terrific," Trump continued. He then explained his reasoning for the seemingly random shoutout: "I had to mention her at that point because if I forget it later on they'll say 'He's cognitively challenged.' I don't want to be cognitively, no, but I want to thank her because she's unbelievable."

This wasn't the only time Trump broached the subject of his mental acuity during the rally. Later in his speech, he revisited the topic while discussing immigration, veering into a bizarre comparison involving the fictional character Hannibal Lecter. "They go crazy when I say 'The late great Hannibal Lecter,' OK. They say 'Why would he mention Hannibal Lecter, he must be cognitively in trouble,'" Trump said. He then added, "No, no, no. These are real stories, Hannibal Lecter from 'Silence of the Lambs,' he's a lovely man he wants to have you for dinner he'd like to have you for dinner."

It's worth noting that Trump often brings up Lecter at his rallies. The ex-president has talked about the fictional cannibal quite a few times. In a rally back in May, he even called Lecter a 'wonderful man.' Then in June, he told his supporters not to 'hang out' with the character, as per The Mediaite. 

When it comes to Trump's alleged cognitive dissonance, author Ramin Setoodeh recently said that Trump showed 'severe memory issues' during interviews. Business leaders who met with him also said his speech was 'meandering' and lacked coherence. However, even with these worries, Trump and his team say he's in good health. But things like confusing former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi earlier this year have kept people talking about his mental sharpness.

Another instance is when, at a rally in Charlotte, Trump gave Vice President Kamala Harris a new nickname, calling her "Lyin' Kamala Harris," according to The Daily Mail. He also kept mispronouncing her first name and accused Democratic Party leaders of pushing President Joe Biden out of the race. Trump said, "The leaders of the Democrat Party—in a very un-democratic move—they said 'either you get out or we're going to throw you out using the 25th Amendment.' That's what happened. You know that."