Wait, Trump’s idiotic plan to reopen Alcatraz could cost how much?
President Donald Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz as a maximum-security prison—and it could cost up to $2 billion, according to Axios.
Trump has long toyed with the idea of reopening the infamous island prison, which is currently a museum and tourist destination. But now it seems he’s taking concrete steps to make this foolish plan happen. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum toured the island Thursday, with officials confirming that multiple site visits have been conducted and early cost estimates drafted.
It’s absurd on its face. Trump has spent months heartlessly cutting federal programs and shrinking government agencies under the guise of “efficiency.” And yet his administration is now considering a multibillion-dollar prison project aimed at housing what Trump calls America’s “most ruthless and violent” criminals.
Sources told Axios there are three possible versions of the plan. The first—and most costly, at over $2 billion—involves destroying all existing structures on the island and building a new “supermax” complex from nothing. A smaller version might cost around $1 billion and take up less area of the island. The third option involves outsourcing the project to private prison companies, but Axios’ sources say this isn’t likely.
“He likes it because it’s tough,” one Trump adviser told Axios.
Another added: “People thought it was a joke … but the president is serious. And if he’s serious, we’re gonna do it.”
Of course, there are huge logistical issues with this idea. Alcatraz was closed in 1963, after about 29 years in operation. The facility was falling apart, too expensive to run, and depended on boats to supply everything—food, water, and staff. And that was over 60 years ago.
It’s not about need. It’s about image. Alcatraz occupies a large place in the American imagination, thanks to decades of movies, myths, and prison lore. And Trump, always looking to make a statement, surely sees this as an opportunity.
Forget that the U.S. prison population has been dropping for years and is expected to keep shrinking. And forget that the National Park Service has operated the island as a tourist spot since 1973. If Trump gets his way, power would shift from NPS to Bondi’s Justice Department, which would oversee the new facility.
Axios notes that funding could come from Trump’s recently passed budget law, which increased funding for immigration enforcement. That sector remains one of the few areas still seeing growth in the incarceration system, and it’s a top priority for Trump, who has heavily promoted brutal border policies designed to scare migrants into “self-deporting.”
Democrats, unsurprisingly, are criticizing the Alcatraz plan. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose district includes Alcatraz, called it “the Trump administration’s stupidest initiative yet.”
“It should concern us all that clearly the only intellectual resources the Administration has drawn upon for this foolish notion are decades-old fictional Hollywood movies,” she said in a statement.
Even Trump’s staff admits that costs and time frames might stop the project.
“We need a lot more study, a lot more specificity, before the president decides,” one official said. “But $2 billion might just be too much money for him.”
The most expensive option might also be shelved because it would take too long to build, and Trump is eager to get it done while he’s still in office.
Still, it wouldn’t be the first time Trump invested public funds in a flashy project with little real purpose. If it sounds expensive and legally questionable, chances are it’s close to getting approved.