In an interview with the New York Times, John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, made some interesting remarks about the ex-president. According to Kelly, Trump meets the definition of a fascist and prefers to handle leadership with a dictatorial mindset.

“Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian,” said Kelly.

Trump Considers Military Action Against US Citizens

The ex-aide, who is also a retired Marine Corps General, was the longest-serving White House chief of staff during the Trump administration. Few individuals spent as much time as Kelly around the Republican presidential nominee during his White House days. Kelly agreed to interviews about the ex-president because he was disturbed by some comments Trump made while on Fox News. 

Trump suggested he might consider using the U.S. military against domestic opponents. This includes “radical-left lunatics,” Trump noted, such as Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), whom he labeled an “enemy from within.” Trump later doubled down on these views, saying his Democratic opponents pose a greater threat than foreign entities like China or Russia.

Kelly reported that the ex-president often made admiring remarks about German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler while in office. Trump’s remarks included things like, “You know, Hitler did some good things, too.”

Trump Disgusted By Disabled Veterans

Kelly also expressed concern about Trump’s past criticisms of those who had sacrificed for the country and members of the military who were disabled, injured, or killed in service. He also reportedly referred to fallen US soldiers as "losers and suckers" and was disgusted by disabled veterans. According to the former white house official, Trump lacks empathy and does not understand the US Constitution.

Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, stated in response to Kelly. Cheung accused Kelly of making up these stories and said that he had “beclowned himself”.

Trump’s presidential opponent, Kamala Harris, also weighed in on the situation. Harris said she found it "deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous that Donald Trump would invoke Adolf Hitler, the man who is responsible for the deaths of 6 million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Americans."

Notably, Kelly did not endorse Harris but stressed in his interview that he was not trying to tell people who to vote for.  Rather, he only wished to warn about what form another Trump administration might take.