Donald Trump Chuckles About Escaped Prisoners Getting Eaten at 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Donald Trump was in great spirits Tuesday morning ... and why wouldn't he be, 'cause he was talking about one of his favorite subjects -- alligators gobbling up escaped prisoners!

The commander-in-chief was about to depart the White House for the opening of a new Florida detention center called "Alligator Alcatraz," a controversial holding facility for undocumented immigrants as they wait to be deported.

Outside the WH, Trump took a few questions from the press pool, and one reporter asked about the concept behind "Alligator Alcatraz," which is located in the swampy Everglades about an hour west of Miami.

The journalist inquires whether the whole point of the facility is for the gators to eat the inmates if they try to escape.

Check out Trump's reaction ... he seems totally amused, saying, "I guess that's the concept. This is not a nice business."

But Trump also says he's gonna throw a bone to the prisoners and teach 'em how to get away from the reptiles ... by running in a zigzag pattern instead of a straight line.