Trump’s Alcatraz Announcement Comes The Morning After Clint Eastwood Prison Classic Was On Local TV

“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 on TV in Palm Beach the night before. (Trump was at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach for most of the weekend.)

Local outlet WEIU (ironically a PBS station) had the Don Siegel directed prison picture on at 7 p.m. ET Saturday. On Sunday, the president shared two posts with the same emphatic text.

“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. His public schedule, the White House reporters’ pool report and social media post from Mar-a-Lago revelers do nothing to refute the assumption.