GOP Senator Compares Qatar to Hannibal Lecter Amid Trump’s Praise: ‘They’ll Eat Your Liver With Some Fava Beans’

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) compared Qatar to Hannibal Lecter, but argued it’s better to be “friends” than “enemies” with the nation set to gift President Donald Trump a $400 million plane.

Kennedy joined Fox Business Network’s Stuart Varney on Thursday and praised the president’s Middle East trip, and the investment deals coming out of it.

“I don’t think our friendship has ever been stronger than it is right now,” Trump said about U.S.-Qatar relations as he announced a massive deal between Boeing and Qatar, which is purchasing 160 jets from the company.

The president has praised the “potential” of Qatar and received bipartisan backlash over his plan to accept a plane from the country. The move has raised security concerns, but Trump has said it would be “stupid” not to accept the gift.

Kennedy said he believes Trump is ushering in a new era in U.S.-Middle East relations while comparing Qatar to the fictional serial killer  and cannibal Hannibal Lecter.

“American foreign policy is an enduring struggle between values and interests. We know American values, freedom, rule of law, personal responsibility, merit, equal opportunity, not all countries, most countries don’t share those values. Take Qatar for example, they don’t share any of those values. Do I trust Qatar? Of course not. They will eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,” Kennedy said, referring to a line from Silence of the Lambs.

Lecter is also a reference Trump throws out quite frequently.

Kennedy said he does not want to be “enemies” with Qatar and being “friends” is necessary to take on China.

“Does that mean I want to be enemies with Qatar? No. Why? Because you don’t have to be MENSA material to see that the world is in the midst of this grand struggle between the United States and other countries that share our values in China, Russia and Iran and Xi is the mastermind,” he said. “And Xi wants Russia to dominate eastern and central Europe, Iran dominate the Middle East, China to dominate the Indo Pacific, in sub-saharan Africa, space, and the Arctic, we need all the friends we can get in that fight.”

Watch above via Fox Business.