Former Trump officials offer support for John Kelly after 'fascist' remark
More than a dozen former Trump administration officials signed onto an open letter backing comments from former Trump chief of staff John Kelly in which he said the former president met the definition of a fascist and expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler.
“The revelations General Kelly brought forward are disturbing and shocking,” the officials wrote. “But because we know Trump and have worked for and alongside him, we were sadly not surprised by what General Kelly had to say. This is who Donald Trump is.”
The letter was signed by several prominent critics of former President Trump, including some who have publicly endorsed Vice President Harris in the 2024 election. It echoed many of the themes the Harris campaign has warned about in the closing stretch of the election, including that Trump wants “unchecked power” and that he would have fewer guardrails in a second term.
“Everyone should heed General Kelly’s warning. We have witnessed, up close and personal, how Donald Trump operates and what he is capable of,” the former officials wrote.
“The American people deserve a leader who won’t threaten to turn armed troops against them, won’t put his quest for power above their needs, and doesn’t idealize the likes of Adolf Hitler,” they continued. “Donald Trump demonstrates every day he is not capable of being commander in chief of this great nation.”
The signatories include former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin, former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews, former communications director Anthony Scaramucci and former national security aide Olivia Troye.
Politico first reported on the letter.
Kelly, a retired four-star general, served as Trump’s chief of staff for roughly 16 months and has been quoted previously in stories about Trump disparaging military veterans. The New York Times on Tuesday published an interview in which Kelly said Trump met the definition of a fascist, preferred to rule like a dictator and recalled the former president expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler.
Harris said at a CNN town hall she agreed with Kelly's assessment that Trump is a fascist.
Kelly's comments came after Trump on multiple occasions described his critics as "the enemy within," and suggested the military could be used to quell unrest.
Trump has bashed Kelly as a "lowlife" and a "degenerate," and his campaign has said the former top White House official "beclowned himself with these debunked stories."
The former president has more broadly dismissed the criticism of numerous former staffers, including some Cabinet officials, arguing it is a case of disgruntled former employees.