President Donald Trump announced plans to reopen Alcatraz prison the same weekend as the film "Escape from Alcatraz" was being shown on TV, a political strategist noted.
Alcatraz, once a maximum-security federal prison, was closed in 1963 due to high operational costs and has since become a prominent tourist attraction managed by the National Park Service. Trump's proposal to reactivate the facility aligns with his administration's broader agenda of stringent law enforcement and immigration policies, Raw Story reported.
In a Truth Social post Sunday, Trump directed federal agencies to refurbish and expand Alcatraz to detain the nation's most dangerous criminals, describing them as "the dregs of society." He emphasized that the revamped prison would symbolize "Law, Order, and JUSTICE."
Meanwhile, former GOP strategist Stuart Stevens went on MSNBC's "Chris Jansing Reports," to suggest what could have motivated Trump's announcement.
"Let me just point out that 'Escape from Alcatraz' is playing on television where Trump was this weekend," Stevens said. "And it's clearly what happened is, this guy saw 'Escape from Alcatraz' and then grabbed his phone and started tweeting, 'We ought to reopen Alcatraz.'"
While speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump was asked what motivated the reopening of Alcatraz, to which he responded that he was supposed to be a film maker.
"I was supposed to be a movie maker... Nobody ever escaped. One person almost got there but they found his clothing rather badly ripped up, a lot of shark bites," Trump said.
Reporter: How did you decide to reopen Alcatraz?
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 5, 2025
Trump: I was supposed to be a movie maker… Nobody ever escaped. One person almost got there but they found his clothing rather badly ripped up, a lot of shark bites… pic.twitter.com/RxQkJ3hho7
California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Scott Wiener, criticized the Alcatraz proposal as impractical and politically motivated, noting the site's current status as a historic landmark and tourist destination.
The announcement also came as Trump pledged to impose 100% tariffs on foreign-made movies, asserting these measures would reinforce national security and bolster the domestic film industry.
Originally published on Latin Times
