In a striking series of interviews, John Kelly, the retired Marine general who served as Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff, openly criticized the former president. Kelly stated that Trump fits “into the general definition of fascist” and shared that Trump expressed a desire for the “kind of generals Hitler had.” The comments, published just two weeks before Election Day, have sparked further concerns about how Trump may wield power if re-elected.
Kelly’s accusations are part of a growing trend of former White House aides warning about Trump’s approach to leadership. In his interviews, Kelly detailed his time working with Trump, saying the ex-president preferred a dictator-like approach to governance. As Trump’s chief of staff from 2017 to 2019, Kelly observed Trump’s admiration for authoritarian figures, leading him to question Trump’s commitment to democratic principles.
Speaking to The New York Times, Kelly reinforced these concerns by stating that Trump “certainly prefers the dictator approach to government.” Furthermore, in a separate conversation with The Atlantic, Kelly confirmed Trump’s unsettling praise for Nazi-era generals. Trump reportedly told Kelly that he wished his military personnel would show him the same loyalty that Adolf Hitler’s generals showed to the German dictator. When Kelly questioned whether Trump truly meant Hitler’s generals, Trump affirmed his comment. “Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals,” Trump said, according to Kelly. In response, Kelly recounted explaining that some of those generals, such as Rommel, had been involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler and were forced to commit suicide.
Trump’s campaign has vehemently denied these allegations. Alex Pfeiffer, a campaign adviser, dismissed the claims, calling them “absolutely false” and asserting that “President Trump never said this.” Despite the denial, the accusations have already been seized upon by Trump’s political opponents. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, running as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, reacted strongly to the reports. At a rally in Wisconsin, Walz expressed his disgust, stating, “The comments about Hitler’s generals make me sick as hell.” He continued, “The guardrails are gone. Trump is descending into this madness—a former president of the United States says he wants generals like Adolf Hitler had.”
Kelly’s remarks come during a critical point in the 2024 presidential campaign. Trump has increasingly hinted at using the U.S. military against his political opponents, whom he has referred to as the “enemy within.” These comments have alarmed Democrats, with Harris describing Trump as “unhinged” and warning that his rhetoric poses a threat to democratic values. “This is a democracy,” Harris said in an interview with Fox News. “In the United States of America, the president should be able to handle criticism without threatening to lock people up for it.”
Kelly criticized Trump’s inflammatory language, cautioning that even mentioning such ideas for political gain is dangerous. According to The New York Times, Kelly read out a definition of fascism during one of his interviews: “It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, and forcible suppression of opposition.” Kelly then noted that Trump’s behavior and views align with this definition, explaining that Trump “certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
In Kelly’s view, Trump’s inability to grasp constitutional principles and the proper role of government officials was a key issue. “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,” Kelly said. He added that Trump’s desire to control officials in the same way he managed his business dealings showed a fundamental misunderstanding of how government functions. According to Kelly, Trump struggled to grasp that top officials’ loyalty was to the Constitution, not to him personally.
Trump’s campaign has been quick to reject Kelly’s accusations, labeling him as someone suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Campaign communications director Steven Cheung dismissed the comments, saying Kelly had “totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories.”
One of the more shocking aspects of Kelly’s interviews was his account of Trump praising Adolf Hitler. “He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’” Kelly told The New York Times. This sentiment reportedly surfaced multiple times during Trump’s presidency, and Kelly confirmed similar accounts to The Atlantic. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, noted that Trump’s admiration for Hitler was one of the most disturbing things Kelly had encountered while serving in the White House.
Trump’s frustration with the U.S. military leadership has been well-documented. According to Goldberg, Trump was frequently annoyed by the fact that American military officers swore an oath to the Constitution rather than to the commander-in-chief. The former president’s desire for absolute loyalty, similar to that shown by Nazi generals, was a recurring theme in Kelly’s retelling.
CNN’s Jim Sciutto also reported similar claims in his book The Return of Great Powers. Sciutto shared an incident where Trump allegedly praised Hitler’s role in rebuilding the German economy. Kelly confronted Trump about the comment, reminding him that Hitler’s actions ultimately led to global conflict and immense suffering. Kelly recounted saying to Trump, “Sir, you can never say anything good about the guy. Nothing.”
In 2022, reporters Peter Baker and Susan Glasser documented another instance of Trump comparing his military officers to German generals in their book The Divider: Trump in the White House. According to the book, Trump lamented that his generals were not more like Hitler’s. Kelly confirmed these accounts to The Atlantic, describing a similar exchange with Trump.
The Atlantic also revealed a separate, troubling story about Trump’s reaction to the cost of a fallen servicemember’s funeral. According to sources cited by the publication, Trump had initially volunteered to pay for the funeral of Fort Hood Pfc. Vanessa Guillen, who had been murdered while on duty. However, when presented with the $60,000 bill, Trump allegedly refused to pay, making disparaging remarks about the servicemember’s ethnicity. Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was instructed not to cover the costs. Trump’s campaign has denied this account, with Pfeiffer calling it “an outrageous lie” designed to smear Trump just two weeks before the election.
With the 2024 election fast approaching, Kelly’s criticisms highlight the ongoing concerns over Trump’s leadership style and his potential return to power. Despite the former president’s denials, these claims will likely continue to fuel debates surrounding Trump’s view of the presidency and the U.S. military.