John Kelly asserts that Trump repeatedly lauded the dictator of Nazi Germany throughout his time in office.
In a shocking revelation that could impact Donald Trump’s re-election efforts, his former chief of staff has asserted that Trump once expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and shows a clear inclination towards authoritarian governance.
John Kelly characterized his former employer as someone devoid of empathy and aligning with a broad definition of fascism, noting that he had observed Trump express admiration for the dictator of Nazi Germany on multiple occasions.
Mr. Kelly claimed that he mentioned on multiple occasions that, You know, Hitler had some positive contributions as well.
The allegations were promptly rejected by the Trump campaign.
The retired US Marine general, who served as White House chief of staff from 2017 to 2019, made some harsh remarks that add to the growing list of alarms sounded by former aides. They have expressed worries regarding Trump’s potential leadership style should he regain power after the upcoming November election.
According to Mr. Kelly’s remarks to The New York Times, fascism is identified as a political ideology and movement situated on the far-right of the spectrum. It is marked by authoritarianism, extreme nationalism, a dictatorial leader, centralized control, militaristic tendencies, the violent repression of dissent, and an adherence to a perceived natural social order.
Based on my observations, it seems that [Trump] believes these approaches would be more effective for governing the country. Without a doubt, he aligns with the broader characteristics associated with fascism.
He clearly favors a dictatorial style of governance. In an interview with The Atlantic, he mentioned that Trump sought military leaders who were loyal, similar to the generals that served Hitler.
During a private discussion at the White House while he was president, Mr. Kelly mentioned that Trump spoke about individuals who were completely devoted to him and who adhered to his directives.
Are you referring to the generals of Bismarck? Mr. Kelly mentioned that he had inquired with Trump.
I was aware that he had no idea who Bismarck was or anything regarding the Franco-Prussian War. So, I asked him, Are you referring to the kaiser’s generals? You can’t possibly mean Hitler’s generals, right? He replied, Yeah, yeah, I mean Hitler’s generals.
I told him that Rommel was forced to take his own life following his involvement in a conspiracy against Hitler.
Alex Pfeiffer, an adviser to Trump’s campaign, stated that the conversation never took place.
Mr. Pfeiffer stated that this is entirely untrue; President Trump never made that remark.
In media interviews released on Tuesday, Mr. Kelly reiterated his earlier claim that Trump had referred to soldiers who were injured or killed in combat as losers and suckers.
In reaction to the accusation, Steven Cheung, the communications director for Trump’s campaign, stated that it was actually their rival Kamala Harris who had made negative remarks about veterans.
According to Mr. Cheung, John Kelly has completely embarrassed himself by creating these false narratives, which have been thoroughly discredited. He did not adequately support his President during his tenure as Chief of Staff and is now grappling with a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
In response to a question from the New York Times about Trump’s capacity for empathy, Mr. Kelly replied in the negative.