Trump says he will reopen Alcatraz prison

[Initech]

Source: AP

President Donald Trump says he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a California island.

In a message on his Truth Social site Sunday evening, Trump wrote that, “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

“That is why, 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,” he wrote, adding: “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-alcatraz-prison-fabe3385415ae03829d44e50efb3c1fb

---

What the actual fuck????

[madinmaryland]

1. Trump should be the first "resident" to move into it.

[Xipe Totec]

51. Orange will be the new orange.

[Grim Chieftain]

55. My thoughts exactly

He wants to lock up felons and criminals? Really? He should start with himself! He is convicted of thirty-four felonies, sexual assault and not to mention hundreds of thousands of deaths due to COVID brought about by his ineptitude, incompetence and total disregard for the welfare of our people! Damn it! When is this evil stain on our county ever going to be held to account? Seriously, when is ENOUGH ever going to be enough? We are watching our country and our democracy die, and almost no one is doing a damn thing!

[Trueblue1968]

62. Lock trump up then perhaps lets consider that it is time to do French Revolution stuff

[calimary]

73. Beat me to it.

And he can have the whole place to himself. A new kind of "solitary confinement." trump on ice!

[thought crime]

79. Gov Schwarzenegger would make a fine warden

[brush]

80. The idiot is at it again. Alcatraz was deteriorating when it closed in 1963.

Last edited Mon May 5, 2025, 01:15 AM - Edit history (2)

News flash: That's why it was closed.
The materials it was built with...steel, concrete, iron, roofing materials etc...don't do well in the constantly wet, salty, marine climate of it's island location. And it's been closed all this time with little maintenance.

It'li cost billions to restore to habitable levets Forget about DOGE and cutting expenses I guess.

What a dumb ass.

[mwmisses4289]

85. Actually, it is a tourist attraction.

https://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm

[AdamGG]

83. Bobby Kennedy shut down Alcatraz as AG

It would be poetic if RFK, Jr. was sentenced there (hopefully Trump would be long since dead by then).

[dem4decades]

2. An idea so stupid you know he thought of it himself

[vapor2]

23. Heard that either don jr or Eric floated the idea previously

Just another freakin distraction from his inability to support our constitution comment

[Lonestarblue]

91. So they can get billions of our tax dollars to rebuild it.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

41. Like nuking a hurricane. 😂

[AdamGG]

82. And windmill cancer (n/t)

[Silent Type]

3. More idiocy from trump. Although, I'd prefer Alcatraz to some prison in Mississippi or Kansas.

[underpants]

6. Mississippi and Kansas are way cheaper to build

Much cheaper labor too. Just saying.

[Silent Type]

16. Yeah, but it's hot as hell and prisons ain't big on air conditioning.

[Initech]

10. I honestly look forward to the day I never have to hear the shit coming from his vile mouth ever again!

[Initech]

21. It's like they sit around all day and intentionally try to come up witht the absolute worst answer to every problem.

Nobody:

Nobody ever:

Nobody in history:

Fuckface Von Clownstick: Let's reopen Alcatraz!

[underpants]

24. He's all everywhere today for the Meet the Press conference interview

It didn’t go well but he doesn’t know that. So he Has To create more attention. 🙄 I just heard the standard 2 line synopsis on BBC News on NPR.

[Silent Type]

25. +1. Doubt we need another prison, but any sane person would say let's expand Leavenworth. Naw, trump

chooses to rebuild an iconic but obsolete prison just for the publicity value. Doubt it’s even possible to rebuild Alcatraz.

[VMA131Marine]

34. The current buildings are crumbling...

Due to salt exposure.

The existing prison is obsolete and rebuilding would be incredibly expensive because it all has to be shipped out to the island on a boat. There also isn’t a lot of room to expand unless you build vertically.

And, oh yeah, the building has to be constructed to withstand earthquakes.

[MissouriDem47]

47. Alcatraz was finished being built 1858

It was originally built as a fort, later turned into a military prison and then converted to a federal prison in 1934. It was closed in 1963.

[Metaphorical]

76. Must have seen Papillon on TV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papillon_(1973_film)

I wonder how he feels about butterflies?

[Brainfodder]

4. Clint might still be availlable?

Fan of the movie.... just the movie.

[underpants]

22. What about Shawshank??? Oz???

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

32. English was my favorite character in the movie.

RIP Paul Benjamin

[IronLionZion]

5. He is a convicted felon, twice impeached

[bluestarone]

7. Is this his get around the judges order?

No more flights? Send them all to ALCATRAZ? This is the most LOOPHOLE fucking bastards ever.

[usonian]

72. Repairs and renovation would take SO LONG

I can't even imagine.

Ruin the tourist gig, will you? I know some "tourists" who should be there.

And those 🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈s in the bay. And the ⚡️🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋⚡️

[The Blue Flower]

8. Mr. 34 felonies????

hmmm

[underpants]

9. Wants to build in SF Bay and not use Super Max's purposely built in cheaper areas?

Massively expensive to build and staff.

[Prairie Gates]

95. He's a real estate genius!

ADX Florence would be the obvious candidate for expansion. Somebody tell Trump that it is called the "Alcatraz of the Rockies" so he can say that that is what he meant all along and we can forget about this whole embarrassing episode.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. IIRC it was closed partly because it was expensive to operate and needed $$$$$ repairs

[Irish_Dem]

12. How much is all of this costing the US taxpayer?

We have no money for anything else, but we do for building more and more prisons?

[Attilatheblond]

28. Not a consideration when he has big donors with construction companies to repay

[Irish_Dem]

31. 100% certain that the Trump crime family will get a cut of any federal construction contracts.

[marble falls]

13. Only if it's his new address.

[Buddyzbuddy]

14. Whata maroon!

In other news, the Felon wants to know why the military ain't using Tommy guns.

Note:the use of ain't is purposeful.

[JoseBalow]

15. It's just more trolling nonsense

[rsdsharp]

17. I've been there. He'd have to blow it up and start over from scratch.

And he’s going to EXPAND it? Where? It’s on a fucking island, Chucklenuts.

[Prairie Gates]

96. The top comment of anyone who has been to Alcatraz as a tourist is "IT'S SO SMALL!"

"It's so much smaller than I thought!"

Literally, everybody who goes there says that. Trump is an absolute clown.

[rsdsharp]

97. That's true. Especially the exercise yard outside the dining hall.

The movies make it look huge; it’s really tiny.

[LoisB]

18. I imagine he must have watched a movie about Alcatraz before coming up with this "brilliant"

idea.

[RockRaven]

19. Alcatraz is easier to escape than its reputation in the minds of ignoramuses.

So it isn't much of a surprise that The Convicted Felon would think it was a superlative prison location.

Weekend warriors do the swim regularly.

[BidenRocks]

69. The Mythbusters made it.

They stayed true to the means and methods.

[sheshe2]

20. Welp.

He described himself and the rest of the maggot clan perfectly.

“For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.

I hope they all enjoy their stay.

[BootinUp]

26. Hail Dondus!

You might recognize that silliness from Gladiator II.

[riversedge]

27. The closure of the federal prison in 1963 was attributed to crumbling infrastructure and the high costs of repairing and

I took my mom on a tour when we visited her sister who lives in California. She just wanted to see the famed prison since we were so close. It was crumbling then--about 15 or so years ago.


https://apnews.com/article/trump-alcatraz-prison-fabe3385415ae03829d44e50efb3c1fb
...........Alcatraz Island is now a major tourist site that is operate by the National Parks Service and is a designated National Historic Landmark.

The closure of the federal prison in 1963 was attributed to crumbling infrastructure and the high costs of repairing and supplying the island facility, because everything from fuel to food had to be brought by boat.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders.” The spokesperson did not immediately answer questions from The Associated Press regarding the practicality and feasibility of reopening Alcatraz or the agency’s role in the future of the former prison given the National Park Service’s control of the island.

The island serves as a veritable time machine to a bygone era of corrections. The Bureau of Prisons currently has 16 penitentiaries performing the same high-security functions as Alcatraz, including its maximum security facility in Florence, Colorado, and the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, which is home to the federal death chamber.

The order comes as Trump has been clashing with the courts as he tries to send accused gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador, without due process. Trump has also directed the opening of a detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,to hold up to 30,000 of what he has labeled the “worst criminal aliens.”.....................

[dflprincess]

49. My friend & I took the tour of Alcatraz many years ago

Per the park ranger who led our group (and whose favorite phrase was "trust your ranger&quot a big chunk of the maintenance was paid for by Hollywood as the studios often used the site for prison scenes.

This could get interesting if the Bureau of Prisons has to fight the Park Service for it.

[FailureToCommunicate]

29. Welcome back...

[aka-chmeee]

30. Henry J Hudson Chrysler! Make sure the fargin bastage nevers sees "Escape from LA" and "Escape from

New York"!

[deurbano]

33. Will the incarcerated also serve as tourist guides?

[Wonder Why]

35. Mary Largo would make a better prison. There are probably dozens of felons there already and it

has never been good for anything else.

[Iamscrewed]

36. Projectionionist

Hope he does good job cleaning the place up so he has a place to stay if we let him live.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

37. Just when you thought he couldn't come up with anything more stupid

[Gary 50]

38. Yes mr. Trump, we need to build a hellhole type of prison to hold repeat criminal offenders.

Like people who have committed dozens of felonies, are convicted of sexual assaults, who have committed treason by trying to overturn a free and fair election based on lies, who robbed their own charities, who have committed extorsion repeatedly. Yup, these nasty types should live in a hellhole until they die.

[mdbl]

39. I thought he was more into pardoning violent criminals re Jan 6

[3auld6phart]

40. Self

Description, you orange freak.you should be the first as you are a repeat, felon , rapist and a danger to the to the US population..you and your pole dancing AG,RFKjr. And so many other syvcphants , to many to name them all.. just feck off and perish.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

42. Next he'll have televised executions by firing squad.

He'd probably get good ratings from the MAGA cult.

There'd be a hundred volunteer "patriots" willing to kill anyone Dear Leader says is an enemy of the state.

"Ready...aim...YOU'RE FIRED!!!"

[FrankTC]

43. Need More Sharks

After the prison is rebuilt, he’ll order the Department of Homeland Security to stock San Francisco Bay with sharks.

[D. Spaulding]

44. It's obvious that he spends a good portion of his effort

appeasing his online junkies who look at this not seriously, but as some reality TV show or WWE event that they've become seriously vested in. To absolutely no one else, does this even make sense.

[Ray Bruns]

90. Exactly. His biggest fans are people who think this is a reality show.

[Bluesman49]

45. Hahahaha

This guy is a cartoon, talk about distraction, Hmmm Think he's worried about his poll Numbers....

[Historic NY]

46. He is losing his mind......mush

A place closed because its was unmaintainable in the modern world. Its infrastructure is decayed and will need to be rebuild. The place is loaded with lead, it was closed in 1963 because its was to expensive to repair or update.

It will cost 10s of millions before a prisoner or guards can effectively use the place. Trump is killing off the tourist trade this place has.

[AZJonnie]

81. You last sentence probably identifies a big part of the 'why'

To anyone who doesn't recall, Newsome was the mayor of SF. On top of it, the cultists are obsessed with turning back the clock in every possible way, esp. when it comes to the exercise of white male authority in all its forms. This is the sort of talk they get off on and he gives them what they want. Same product line as his gilded-age tariffs, pretending to be religious, putting military base names back to 'heroes' of the confederacy, taking away rights from women and POC's, etc.

[Martin68]

48. He's a reality TV star. This is why they do. Performative Bullshit.

[Historic NY]

50. A starting point 100 million on just rebuilding the repair the decay...

add in all the fiber optics , electrics, fire suppression, generators, HVAC systems, water purifications systems, sewage systems and treatment facilities.

My buddy spent years working as the working foreman on electrical, alarm, fiber optics, and related in NYS prisons and youth facilities. They put in miles and miles of new stuff, one place took several years.

It ain't a hotel its a prison.

[2MuchNoise]

52. Donald Trump. The Turdman of Alcatraz.

[displacedvermoter]

53. Is this real? It can't be.

[LudwigPastorius]

54. This will be followed by a Trump program to populate the waters around the island with sharks...with frikkin lasers.

[onenote]

56. The prison, as a tourist destination, generates $60 million per year

So add the astronomical cost of bringing up to date a prison that closed 60 years ago, let alone enlarging it, considering the fact that all of the materials and labor have to be brought by boat, to the lost annual revenue -- let's see how quick members of Congress will be to authorize the funds necessary to do this.

As usual, this is fantasy bullshit from our cosplaying president.

[Nigrum Cattus]

57. He is also going to bring back rotary phones -

Lawn darts
Pet rocks

[thought crime]

89. Ah, Law darts... Good times. Good times.

[fierywoman]

58. The criminals he's describing is him, projecting like mad.

[COL Mustard]

59. Who took his strawberries?

If you just give them back, it'll be okay.

[Martin Eden]

64. Captain Queeg was right about the strawberries

Two Dolls Donald is cuckoo by comparison.

[CTyankee]

75. It ain't even that...he said ONE doll for xmas. Talk about SCROOGE...

I hope he gets spirit visitations like Ebenezer Scrooge did. Every night forever until he gets it....

[howardmappel]

60. Yuuuuge cost to rebuild

But not to worry - I am highly confident that all the necessary contracts to rebuild will be handed out to buddies of his and that the taxpayer monies spent will not exceed 400% of the actual cost.

And yeah, send trump, Jr., airwick, Ivanka and the rest of his criminal cartel there as permanent guests. They can even be buried there.

[Mr. Jinx]

61. Why aren't media types calling this out for what it is?

This is insanity. Why and how anyone can treat these utterances as serious discourse is beyond me.

[John1956PA]

78. There are thousands of tons of hazardous/toxic materials and soil on that island.

Occasionally, I have wondered what will ever become of the ruins situate on that island. I am surprised that it is such a tourist attraction.

[orangecrush]

63. The firehose of bullshit

24/7.

[kimbutgar]

65. Obviously he has never been there it would cost at least 750 billion to refurbish and would help the SF Bay

Area economy grow and be more prosperous.

Between labor and raw material the costs would be astronomical! What a friggin idiot. Someone please put the demented grandpa to bed!

[Norrrm]

66. Where is DOGE for this waste and abuse?

[C Moon]

67. He's trying to stick it to Newsom in any way he can.

[sinkingfeeling]

68. Does he lnow it's a tourist attraction and crumbling? How many billions

would it take to rennovate it back into a functioning prison?

[Turbineguy]

70. ".....dregs of society...."

He's talking about himself again.

[The Roux Comes First]

71. If His Lips Are Moving, He's Projecting

"Vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders, the dregs of society."

I couldn't have described you better myself.

[Montauk6]

74. Trumpillon?

[Mike Nelson]

77. Yay!

... I'm thinking the Presidential suite will have a gold toilet. Ah, what the heck... Gold Toilets for everyone!

[Ford_Prefect]

84. He's such a wizard at real estate deals too. Just imagine how much money THIS project will save....

A 1959 report indicated that the facility was over three times more expensive to run than the average American prison; $10 per prisoner per day compared to $3 in most other prisons. The problem was made worse by the buildings' structural deterioration from exposure to salt spray, which would require $5 million to fix. Major repairs began in 1958, but by 1961 engineers considered the prison a lost cause.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Federal_Penitentiary

Just imagine how much more those facilities have decayed after 64 years.

[orangecrush]

86. Oh I misread this

Last edited Mon May 5, 2025, 07:39 AM - Edit history (1)

I thought it said " Trump says he will REPORT to Alcatraz prison.

[Bristlecone]

87. Mocking this insane idea will just make him push it more

He is an absolute lunatic.

Soon it will be the main talking point on Fox, about what a great idea it is.

[Bengus81]

88. Bet Trump knows a construction company that could do the work..wink,wink.

[twodogsbarking]

92. Good. He can have it all to himself, 'cept for the ghosts of course. His forever home.

[defacto7]

93. How theatrical. n/t

[murielm99]

94. He does not want to do this.

This is just one of the many distractions he throws out there. He is doing something far worse while we sputter and fume over this Alcatraz thing.