When questioned about his surprising announcement to reopen Alcatraz for violent criminals, President Donald Trump referenced movies to help explain his decision. He emphasized that the move demonstrates a commitment to “law and order.”

Trump highlighted the symbolic significance of Alcatraz in portraying strength and order in society. Linking it to iconic prison movies such as Alcatraz and Sing Sing, he reiterated the importance of enforcing law and order in the country.

The President’s decision to reopen Alcatraz was underpinned by his belief that it represents a powerful symbol of law and order, crucial for maintaining peace and security in the nation. By evoking imagery from classic prison movies, Trump sought to emphasize the necessity of upholding strong judicial principles.

Both prisons loom large in the national consciousness, and he may have been referencing the Clint Eastwood Escape from Alcatraz film.

‘It’s right now a museum, believe it or not. A lot of people go there. It housed the most violent criminals in the world, and nobody ever escaped. One person almost got there. But they, as you know the story, they found his clothing rather badly ripped up. And it was a lot of shark bites – a lot of problems.’

It wasn’t immediately clear what swimming attempt he was referring to.

President Trump was asked for his reasoning behind a plan to reopen Alcatraz. He said it stood for ‘law and order’ and described an escape attempt. ‘You know the story, they found his clothing rather badly ripped up. And it was a lot of shark bites’

The prison’s most famous escape attempt was carried out by Frank Lee Morris and the Anglin brothers, who made it off the island in 1962 by fashioning a raft out of stolen raincoats and fashioning dummies that they placed in their prison beds.

None of the three escapees were ever found, and all were presumed dead. 

Trump’s comments made clear that the prison’s image was central to his decision, certainly not budget issues. He noted the tourist draw of the island, and local officials say the museum on national park land brings in $60 million each year, drawing 1.6 million visitors.

‘It’s right now a museum, believe it or not,’ Trump said of the prison in San Francisco Bay

Three men escaped in 1962 after fashioning a raft. Their bodies were never found and they were presumed dead

In a post shared to TruthSocial on Sunday night, Trump vowed ‘the reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE’

‘I guess I was supposed to be a movie maker,’ said Trump when asked about his Alcatraz plan

‘Nobody’s ever escaped from Alcatraz and just represented something strong having to do with law and order. We need law and order in this country, and so we’re going to look at it. Some of the people up here are going to be working very hard on that, and we had a little conversation. I think it’s going to be very interesting. We’ll see if we can bring it back in large form,’ Trump said.

‘It’s a big hulk that’s sitting there rusting and rotting very you look at it … But it sort of represents something that’s both horrible and beautiful, strong and miserable, weak. It’s got a lot of it’s got a lot of qualities that are interesting.’

Trump has a longstanding interest in sharks. During the campaign, he spoke occasionally about electric batteries and choosing electrocution over death by shark attack. In 2015 he nearly landed a leading role in the Sharknado 3 film.

Trump made his surprise announcement after a federal judge he appointed ruled against his administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to send alleged Venezuelan gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador, calling it ‘unlawful.’

Trump has been hit with repeated questions about whether the deportations violate people’s Due Process rights. 

The Alcatraz history page sketches out 14 escape attempts, but none that mentioned a shark-bitten shirt. In fact, it states that ‘one of the many myths about Alcatraz is that it was impossible to survive a swim from the island to the mainland because of sharks. In fact, there are no “man-eating” sharks in San Francisco Bay, only small bottom-feeding sharks. The main obstacles were the cold temperatures (averaging 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit), the strong currents, and the distance to shore (at least 1-1/4 miles).’

Trump segued to the movies when asked why he wanted to open the notorious prison. 

‘I guess I was supposed to be a movie maker, he said – after fielding an earlier question about his sudden announcement to slap a 100 percent tariff on films ‘produced in foreign lands.’