Trump Wanted ‘Hitler’s Generals,’ Former Chief Of Staff Says
John Kelly warned that Donald Trump meets the definition of a fascist and would govern like a dictator.
John Kelly, Donald Trump’s longest-service chief of staff, made dire warnings Tuesday about what could happen if his former boss wins back the White House, and confirmed disturbing comments the former president allegedly made about Adolf Hitler.
Kelly, a former Marine general who also served as Trump’s homeland security secretary, spoke to both The Atlantic and The New York Times about his concerns, saying he was motivated to go on the record after Trump suggested he’d use military force against his domestic political enemies.
Trump meets the definition of a fascist and would govern like a dictator, Kelly warned, telling the Times that Trump “never accepted the fact that he wasn’t the most powerful man in the world — and by power, I mean an ability to do anything he wanted, anytime he wanted.”
The retired general pointed to the definition of a fascism ― a government with a “dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy ― and said that from his experience working with Trump, “those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America.”
As Trump’s chief of staff, Kelly spent more time behind closed doors with the former president than nearly anyone else who worked in his administration.
Speaking to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, Kelly also confirmed an incident first divulged in a 2022 book, in which Trump reportedly asked Kelly, “Why can’t you be like the German generals?” and claimed Hitler’s generals “were totally loyal to him.”
Here’s Kelly’s confirmation, according to Goldberg:
This week, I asked Kelly about their exchange. He told me that when Trump raised the subject of “German generals,” Kelly responded by asking, “Do you mean Bismarck’s generals?” He went on: “I mean, I knew he didn’t know who Bismarck was, or about the Franco-Prussian War. I said, “Do you mean the kaiser’s generals? Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals?” And he said, “Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.” I explained to him that Rommel had to commit suicide after taking part in a plot against Hitler. Kelly told me Trump was not acquainted with Rommel.
Trump’s spokespeople have repeatedly denied such a conversation ever happened.
Kelly also confirmed previous reporting about Trump praising Hitler, telling the Times that “more than once,” Trump told him: “You know, Hitler did some good things, too.”
Trump’s recent comments about using the military against “the enemy within” are similar to remarks he made while in office, Kelly told the Times, saying he repeatedly had to inform Trump that he did not have the authority to use the military against Americans. Overall, Kelly said, Trump showed very little respect for or understanding of the Constitution, American democracy or the concept of rule of law.
“The people who know him best are telling us Trump is unhinged and pursuing unchecked power that would put us all at risk,” spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement. “We should all listen.”
Former President Donald Trump and Chief of Staff John Kelly during a meeting with senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Oct. 5, 2017.
Kamala Harris’ campaign urged voters to listen to Kelly’s warnings.
New York Times columnist Thomas Edsall issued Wednesday an extensive but dire warning to the American people in which he begged voters not to make what one expert described to him as a "deal with the devil."
"It is the ordinary, day-to-day life we lead at our kitchen tables and in our bedrooms that is most dangerously threatened by the tyranny that a return of Trump to power would represent," Edsall wrote.
"This is the kind of tyranny that everyone who reads these words should fear most and work hardest to hold at bay."
Edsall's lengthy analysis relies on Trump's spoken and written words, multiple interviews with political scientists and disturbing data about the views his MAGA voters hold.
The columnist warned Trump has already begun to dismantle political protections that might prevent him from carrying out threats that include siccing the military on perceived enemies, aligning himself with dictators whose charm and patriotism he praises, dismantling the civil service and sacrificing American influence abroad by abandoning European allies.
Jack Balkin, a Yale professor of constitutional law, warned Trump and conservatives have delivered critical blows to each of three protections — White House advisers, the threat of impeachment and the threat of prosecution — that prevent presidential misconduct.
“[Trump] will choose advisers who will not stand up to him,” said Balkin. “Two failed attempts at impeachment and removal during Trump’s first term have demonstrated that impeachment is not a viable remedy."
The third is threatened by the Supreme Court, Balkin argues, because, "Trump can launder everything through discussions with his close subordinates, especially members of the Justice Department, and claim absolute immunity.”
"Never forget that law can oppress as easily as it can liberate and that it is the content and spirit of our laws and the character of those we entrust with enacting and enforcing them that makes fidelity to law so central to our experiment in self-government," he concluded.
"It's both frightening and disturbing to think that two weeks from now American voters could once again make someone as unhinged and unbridled as Donald Trump the president of the United States."
