'That Place Belongs In The Past': Last Living Alcatraz Inmate, 93, Begs Donald Trump NOT To Reopen Prison — Despite Being Huge MAGA Supporter
The last living Alcatraz inmate Charlie Hopkins has told Donald Trump not to reopen American's most notorious prison.
May 12 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
The last living Alcatraz inmate has pleaded with Donald Trump not to reopen America's most notorious prison.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Charlie Hopkins, 93, is hoping the President’s latest wild idea is a "bluff," believing it would be too "expensive."
'You Can't Go Back In Time'
Hopkins was an Alcatraz prisoner from 1955 to 1958 serving time for robbery and kidnapping.
Hopkins, who swept the floors of the prison, is a huge Trump supporter, but he's not aligned with his thinking regarding Alcatraz, which was shut down in 1963.
Speaking from his home in Florida, Hopkins said: "He don't really want to open that place.
"He's just trying to get a point across to the public."
When Trump declared he had "directed the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz," his words ignited a flurry online – particularly among critics.
Charlie Hopkins hopes Trump's plan to reopen the prison is a 'bluff.'
The prison has been crumbling into San Francisco Bay ever since its closure, but Trump wrote last Sunday that he envisioned the notorious lockup would once again house "America's most ruthless and violent offenders."
Hopkins, who served time on the island from 1955 to 1958 for kidnapping and robbery, says he supports Trump but laughs off the idea of reviving a prison he calls "deader than the convicts it held."
He said: "It would be so expensive. Back then, the sewage system went into the ocean. They'd have to come up with another way of handling that."
Hopkins added: "You can't go back in time. That place belongs to the past."
MAGA Fan
Hopkins is a big Trump supporter, despite not aligning with his views on Alcatraz.
The plan was rolled out by Trump, 78, earlier this month standing behind a podium draped in American flags.
He declared how "Alcatraz represents something very strong, very powerful – law and order."
But experts, historians, and even some members of Trump's inner circle have admitted that the proposal is less about incarceration and more about imagination.
"I have two words: water and sewage," said Jolene Babyak, an author and Alcatraz historian who lived on the island as a child while her father served as prison administrator.
Alcatraz was shut down in 1963 and used to hold America's 'ruthless and violent offenders.'
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Others are even more blunt. "To be frank, at first I thought it was a joke," said Hugh Hurwitz, former acting director of the Bureau of Prisons. "You'd have to tear it up and start over."
The island's buildings are literally falling apart with no fencing, updated plumbing, or any real way to house prisoners in compliance with modern federal standards.
"You can't run a prison in a historic ruin," Hurwitz said.
But for Trump, who has already begun to send gang members and has even proposed sending American criminals to foreign prisons like the one in El Salvador, symbolism is what matters most.
"It sort of represents something that is both horrible and beautiful and strong and miserable," he told reporters.
Democrats do not appear to be amused. Nancy Pelosi, whose district includes Alcatraz, dismissed the idea as unserious.
State Senator Scott Wiener called it "deeply unhinged" and "an attack on the rule of law."
