Bette Midler has cracked a joke referencing rumors that Donald Trump passed gas in court while taking a swipe at one of his speech gaffes from the weekend.
On Saturday, the former president made a series of bizarre comments and gaffes at a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, in which he mixed up the names of several people and places, and riffed about how much he liked the fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter.
"The late, great Hannibal Lecter. He's a wonderful man," Trump said about the serial killer protagonist in such movies as The Silence of the Lambs, Manhunter, and Red Dragon. Anthony Hopkins and Brian Cox, who are both still alive, are among the actors who have played Lecter.
"Congratulations, the late, great Hannibal Lecter. We have people that are being released into our country that we don't want in our country," said presumptive GOP presidential nominee Trump as he randomly segued into speaking about immigration.
Down and Out in Beverly Hills star Midler, who is a frequent critic of Trump, took the opportunity to mock the onetime real estate mogul over his remarks on Tuesday, as she also referenced an unrelated weeks-old rumor.
"This weekend, #Trump congratulated 'the late great Hannibal Lecter' during his New Jersey rally speech," Midler said on X, formerly Twitter. "This is the first case of someone suffering the effects of methane poisoning from being exposed to his own farts."
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Trump and Midler via email for comment.
This weekend, #Trump congratulated "the late great Hannibal Lecter" during his New Jersey rally speech. This is the first case of someone suffering the effects of methane poisoning from being exposed to his own farts.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) May 14, 2024
Last month, as Trump's ongoing criminal trial got underway in New York City, a rumor emerged about the former president's courtroom etiquette. MeidasTouch founder Ben Meiselas cited "credible" sources who informed him that Trump was "farting" in court, subsequently causing an unpleasant scent to permeate the area.
"It's a putrid odor in the courtroom," he said on his podcast, adding that Trump's lawyers were "repulsed by the scent and the smell."
George Conway, who has campaigned against Trump, said on X that he had also heard similar rumors.
Newsweek has been unable to verify these claims and the fact-checker Snopes has rated them as "unproven."
In recent days, adult film star Stormy Daniels has testified at New York City's Manhattan Criminal Court, sharing allegations of a purported one-night stand with Trump back in 2006. Trump has been married to Melania Trump since 2005.
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to so-called hush money he arranged for his lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay Daniels to keep the alleged affair she had with the former president a secret ahead of the 2016 election.
The money was listed in Donald Trump's company records as "legal fees," which prosecutors suggest was part of an unlawful attempt to influence the outcome of the 2016 race. Donald Trump admitted to reimbursing the $130,000 to Cohen, but has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, saying that the trial is part of a political witch hunt aimed at derailing his bid for another term in the White House.
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Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
