Ex-White House chief of staff sees 'fascist' traits in Trump, claims he made positive comments about Hitler
This story was updated to remove a reference to a report citing anonymous sources.
Former White House chief of staff John Kelly is speaking out about his ex-boss, Donald Trump, saying the 2024 presidential candidate fits the bill for a fascist.
Kelly, a former Marine Corps general, served as Trump's secretary for the Department of Homeland Security before becoming Trump's longest-serving chief of staff. After reportedly being concerned about Trump's comments suggesting the military may be necessary to address the "enemy within," Kelly sat down for interviews with The New York Times in a story published Tuesday. Kelly accused Trump of having no understanding of the Constitution or the rule of law.
“Well, looking at the definition of fascism," Kelly told the Times while looking at an online definition of the word, "It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy."
“So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America," Kelly said. "So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
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Trump said Hitler did some good things too, according to Kelly
Going on the record with the Times, Kelly said: “In many cases, I would agree with some of his policies ... But again, it’s a very dangerous thing to have the wrong person elected to high office.”
Kelly also confirmed reports that Trump has spoken positively about Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
“He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’” Kelly told the Times.
Kelly also told the Times that Trump has previously denigrated American soldiers that were wounded or killed in action as "losers" and "suckers," calling back to a 2020 report from The Atlantic.
“To me, I could never understand why he was that way ? he may be the only American citizen that feels that way about those who gave their lives or served their country,” Kelly said to the Times.
Harris campaign weighs in
Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign on Wednesday seized on Kelly's remarks.
Retired Army Reserve Col. Kevin Carroll, a former senior adviser to Gen. Kelly, said during a Harris campaign call with reporters that speaking out “was no small step” for Kelly, who he called “a dedicated, measured public servant.”
“But he’s seen Donald Trump up close in a way that very few other Americans have, and he's warning us that a second Trump term would be dangerous,” Carroll said.
Trump says Kelly has 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'
Kelly's tenure in the White House was tumultuous, even as he tried to bring Marine Corps-style order to the administration. After Kelly left, Trump was critical of him, saying he was not able to keep up with the demands of the job.
"John Kelly has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated because he failed to serve his President well while working as Chief of Staff and currently suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome," spokesperson Steven Cheung said in an emailed statement with USA TODAY.
"President Trump has always honored the service and sacrifice of all of our military men and women, whereas Kamala Harris has completely disrespected the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, including the Abbey Gate 13," the statement continued, referencing the 13 American service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan in August 2021, an incident the Trump camp has increasingly tried to tie to Harris in the run-up to the election.
Contributing: John Fritze, Courtney Subramanian, Michael Collins
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected], and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelly says Trump made positive Hitler comments, sees 'fascist' traits