President Donald Trump on Thursday explained why he repeatedly mentioned “the late, great Hannibal Lecter” while on the campaign trail last year.

Trump spoke of the fictional character from “The Silence of the Lambs” while drumming up support Thursday afternoon for his “One Big Beautiful Bill” making its way through Congress.

Trump’s stream of consciousness landed on Lecter while the president touted a “record number of deportations” under his administration.

“We’re bringing criminals out by the thousands, nobody can even imagine. They let people in that were murderers – 1,888 murderers, gang members, people from mental institutions and insane asylums,” the president said.

According to an analysis by FactCheck.org, Trump “has provided no evidence for that explosive claim” regarding the Biden administration allowing murderers, gang members and the mentally ill to enter the country.

Trump then defined “insane asylum” — an outdated term for a mental hospital — for the crowd.

“You know what that is? Insane asylum? That’s a mental institution on steroids. During the campaign I’d talk about the late, great Hannibal Lecter,” he said.

“Do you know who that is? Hannibal Lecter? ‘Silence of the Lambs,’” Trump said.

“I’d talk about him [during the campaign], the fake news would go crazy. ‘Why does he keep mentioning?’” Trump said.

The president explained why he couldn’t stop talking about Lecter while courting votes in 2024.

“Well, because we won in a landslide. That’s why,” he said. “They don’t want to have Hannibal in our midst.”