Trump’s Alcatraz Announcement Comes The Morning After Clint Eastwood Prison Classic Was On Local TV​on May 6, 2025 at 12:21 am

“I guess I was supposed to be a moviemaker,” said Donald Trump today when asked why he decided to reopen the infamous prison on Alcatraz Island.

Turns out there might be a more prosaic answer: Clint Eastwood’s 1979 classic Escape From Alcatraz was shown on a South Florida PBS station the night before. (Trump was at Mar-a-Lago for most of the weekend.)

Local outlet WLRN had the Don Siegel directed prison picture on at 9 p.m. ET Saturday and 11 a.m. ET the following morning. Shortly thereafter, the president posted an emphatic announcement not just once, but twice.

“Today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders,” wrote Trump.

There is no direct evidence linking Trump’s sudden decision to reopen the remote penitentiary, which has been closed since 1963, to the film. But Trump did mention moviemaking when explaining the announcement this morning. Also, his public schedule, the White House reporters’ pool report and social media posts from guests Mar-a-Lago revelers do nothing to refute the assumption that he was otherwise unoccupied at the time.