Five Bizarre things Trump said during campaign season

Republican Donald Trump claimed victory over Democratic vice-president Kamala Harris in the US presidential election. This will see him make a political comeback four years after he left the White House.

The acclaimed businessman is known for being controversial and his presidential campaign was not without controversy.

We look back at five bizarre moments and things he said during his election campaign.

1. “They're eating the dogs”

During a presidential debate against Harris, Trump accused illegal Haitian immigrants of eating domestic pets in a small city in Ohio.

“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said.

However, BBC said that these claims were baseless after verifying that there were no credible reports about that happening. According to the publication, the claim appears to have come from different sources and has since been turned into a cohesive – though baseless – story by pro-Trump social media accounts.

Another source was a Springfield City resident who had launched into a speech against Haitian immigrants during a meeting with the city's commission. He reportedly gave a long list of grievances, including that Haitians were slaughtering park ducks for food.

2. Calling Hannibal Lecter a 'wonderful man'

In another attempt to demonise migrants, Trump kept mentioning a fictional character, Hannibal Lecter, in his speeches. 

“Has anyone seen Silence of the Lambs? The late, great Hannibal Lecter. He’d love to have you for dinner. That’s insane asylums, they’re emptying their insane asylums,” Trump said, reportedly threatening undocumented migrants with mass deportations and comparing them with The Silence of the Lambs' cannibalistic villain.

In another one of his campaign rallies in May, Trump compared migrants to the serial killer, who he again referred to as “The late, great Hannibal Lecter” and said, “He’s a wonderful man.”

3. Saying he hates Taylor Swift when she revealed that she was supporting Kamala Harris

According to Sky News, taking to his Truth Social media account, Trump lashed out at Taylor Swift by writing “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!,” in all caps.

This rage came after Taylor had told her more than 284-million Instagram followers that she had planned to vote for Kamala Harris. The post gained more than nine million likes.

4. Trump hosts a listening party and plays music from artists who have banned him from using their music

During his Town Hall that was held in Pennsylvania in October, Trump stopped answering political questions and instead made attendees listen to his Spotify playlist for 30 minutes, while he danced.

Euro news reported that the performance happened after Trump was “interrupted by several medical emergencies due to the warm temperatures inside the venue.”

The publication reported that the music played included songs by Guns N’ Roses, James Brown and Sinéad O'Connor’s – who had all already threatened Trump with legal action. 

5. Trump calls Kamala's rally a 'dance party'

“Joe Biden is asleep. Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé,” – these are the words that Trump said at his rally in Traverse City, Michigan, a few days before election day.

Trump was referring to the time when Beyoncé Knowles had showed support to Harris by attending one of her rallies in Houston, Texas. The singer had attended with her mother, Tina and fellow Destiny's Child member, Kelly Rowland.

Add me to the guestlist!!!!🤣🤣🤣 #kamala #vote #viral #viralvideo #fypシ #fyp #fypシ゚viral #foryou #dance
Just got our invite to the dance party ✨ we’re on our way Kamala 💙

“We’re all a part of something much bigger. We must vote and we need you. It’s time to sing a new song. A song that began 248 years ago. The old notes of downfall discord [and] despair, no longer resonate. Our generations of loved ones before us are whispering a prophecy, a quest, a calling, an anthem,” Beyoncé encouraged voters at the rally.

Trump was not impressed with this and also accused Harris of using popular musicians to garner votes. His words went viral and started a TikTok challenge in which fans of Beyoncé and Kamala participated and danced. Some even rocked their Democrat stickers.

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