Need ‘generals that Hitler had’: Why has Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly turned on him?

Former US President Donald Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, John F Kelly, has reentered the public arena with a series of scathing remarks about his former boss, describing him as a dangerous authoritarian with fascist tendencies.

This dramatic rebuke comes as Trump enters the final stretch of his Republican campaign for the 2024 United States presidential race, just days before Election Day.

Kelly, along with several other high-ranking military and political figures who once worked closely with Trump, has voiced alarm about the potential consequences of a second Trump presidency.

What Kelly has revealed about Trump

John F Kelly, a retired Marine general, had once been a key figure in Trump’s inner circle, serving as US Secretary of Homeland Security before becoming his chief of staff from July 2017 to January 2019.

However, in a recent interview with The New York Times, Kelly expressed concerns about Trump’s ambitions, describing him as someone who seeks unfettered power and fits the definition of a fascist. ““Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterised by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” Kelly remarked.

Kelly’s reemergence comes as Trump has openly discussed using the military to target his political opponents, a prospect that Kelly finds deeply disturbing. He said he felt compelled to speak out publicly about the danger of Trump’s vision for America.

Kelly said, “And I think this issue of using the military on — to go after — American citizens is one of those things I think is a very, very bad thing — even to say it for political purposes to get elected — I think it’s a very, very bad thing, let alone actually doing it.”

Kelly also confirmed earlier reports that Trump had made derogatory remarks about US service members, calling those wounded or killed in combat “suckers” and “losers.”

As someone who lost a son in combat in Afghanistan in 2010, Kelly said he was appalled by Trump’s lack of empathy for military families and his disdain for veterans.

According to Kelly, Trump once refused to attend events honouring veterans who were amputees, saying that he didn’t want to be seen with those people.

Trump praises dictators?

One of the most alarming details Kelly shared involved Trump’s admiration for authoritarian leaders. In one private White House conversation, Trump allegedly told Kelly that Adolf Hitler “did some good things.”

The Atlantic reported on Tuesday that Trump had once expressed a desire for the kind of loyalty Hitler received from his generals. “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had. People who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders,” Trump reportedly said in a conversation in the White House.

These remarks are consistent with a broader pattern of behaviour in which Trump has openly praised figures such as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Kelly, who served in both the Trump administration and the US military, warned that Trump’s admiration for dictators, combined with his disdain for democratic processes, poses a serious threat to the country.

“He never accepted the fact that he wasn’t the most powerful man in the world—by power, I mean an ability to do anything he wanted, anytime he wanted,” Kelly explained.

Other US security officials sound the alarm

Kelly’s assessment of Trump has resonated with other former military and national security officials. Retired General Mark A Milley, in a recent book, described Trump as “fascist to the core” and warned that a second Trump term could dismantle the democratic checks and balances that protect the United States from autocratic rule.

Former US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper echoed these concerns, stating on CNN, “It’s hard to say” Trump doesn’t fall into the category of a fascist.

In recent months, more than 700 former national security officials from both parties signed an open letter condemning Trump as a threat to democracy. The letter, released by the group National Security Leaders for America, called Trump an authoritarian who would undermine the rule of law.

Read NSL4A’s official statement of endorsement for @KamalaHarris for President of the United States.

The entirety of the statement, including the full list of signatures, can be found here: https://t.co/ySwJYA29ZI#nationalsecurity #leadershipmatters #nsl4a pic.twitter.com/WJLKcDAztA

— National Security Leaders for America (@NSLforAmerica) September 22, 2024
“He has heaped praise on adversarial dictators like China’s Xi Jinping, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin,” the letter stated.

These warnings have come at an unprecedented moment in American history, where several top-ranking military officials have publicly criticised a former president for his authoritarian inclinations.

By tradition, military leaders tend to avoid political endorsements or overt criticisms of elected officials. However, Kelly’s decision to speak out is indicative of the deep concern shared by many in the defence establishment over the prospect of Trump regaining the presidency.

Kamala Harris banks on the criticism

US Vice President Kamala Harris has capitalised on Kelly’s explosive comments to intensify her critique of Trump. In a recent CNN town hall, she was asked directly whether she believes Trump is a fascist.

Her answer was unequivocal: “Yes, I do. Yes, I do.” Harris has repeatedly warned voters about the risks of a second Trump term, saying that he admires dictators and would use the powers of the presidency to undermine American democracy.

Harris seized on Kelly’s comments to underscore her message that Trump is “unhinged and unstable,” noting that Kelly and other former officials who worked with Trump are sounding an alarm that voters must heed.

Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, a retired four-star general, is not a political person—and yet he is warning the American people that Trump is a danger to our country.

Why is he telling us this now? He is putting out a 911 call to the American people. https://t.co/okRnMT1cA5

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 24, 2024
“He’s just putting out a 911 call to the American people,” Harris said, referring to Kelly’s warning. “Understand what could happen if Donald Trump were back in the White House. And this time, we must take very seriously that those folks who knew him best and who were career people are not going to be there to hold him back.”

Harris also pointed out the stakes of the 2024 election, framing it as a battle for the survival of American democracy. “Donald Trump wants unchecked power,” she said. “The question in 13 days will be: What do the American people want?”

Trump responds to these attacks

In response to Kelly’s remarks, Trump and his campaign have denied the allegations. Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, to dismiss Kelly as a “degenerate” who suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

He wrote, “Thank you for your support against a total degenerate named John Kelly, who made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred! This guy had two qualities, which don’t work well together. He was tough and dumb. The problem is his toughness morphed into weakness, because he became JELLO with time.”

Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, also attacked Kelly, calling his comments “debunked stories he has fabricated.” Cheung accused Kelly of failing to serve Trump effectively during his tenure as chief of staff, claiming that Kelly now suffers from a “debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Kelly’s warnings are consistent with comments from other former Trump administration officials, including Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, and former GOP congresswoman Liz Cheney.

Both have become vocal critics of Trump, particularly in the wake of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

With inputs from agencies

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