Donald Trump labeled his ex-Chief of Staff, John Kelly, as a “low life” and a “morally degraded person” following the former Marine Corps General’s endorsement by Kamala Harris for labelling Trump a fascist. This caused a robust debate on fascism to arise at the core of the US presidential race. The Republican nominee didn’t spare his Democratic rival, wrongly attributing to Ms Harris a comparison of him to Adolf Hitler as she televised Mr Kelly’s remarks prior to supporting them during a CNN town hall assembly.
Mr Trump fired back over social media in response to the fallout from an interview Mr Kelly gave the New York Times. The former chief recalled instances where the former president continuously praised Hitler’s accomplishments during his tenure. Mr Kelly, in a dialogue with The Atlantic, portrayed Trump as wishing for generals who exhibited the type of loyalty he thought the German military leaders had towards Hitler.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump condemned Mr. Kelly, who served as his chief of staff for a year and a half, as a “degenerate”, accusing him of fabricating stories due to his profound resentment towards Trump. He described him as “tough and stupid”. Mr. Trump further belittled him, saying Kelly was “a low life.”
In his interview with the New York Times, Mr Kelly argued that Mr Trump conforms to the standard definition of a fascist, stating Trump would govern as a dictator if re-elected. Ms Harris, increasingly sounding alarms about Trump’s authoritarian leanings amid steadily escalating rhetoric, said following the interview that Trump wanted “unchecked power”. She raised concerns that Trump’s mentioning of Hitler was “extremely alarming and incredibly dangerous”.
In a conversation with CNN host Anderson Cooper, she concurred that Trump was a fascist and lauded Mr Kelly for issuing a “nationwide distress signal.” Mr Trump retaliated with a widely viewed and liked post on X, charging Ms Harris with “even going to the extent of calling me Adolf Hitler, and any other thing that enters her skewed thinking”, alleging this was due to her trailing in the polls.
Steven Cheung, who led communications for the Trump campaign, has accused Ms Harris of using inflammatory language that, in his view, led to multiple attempts on President Trump’s life. Despite this, Elizabeth Neumann, formerly a deputy chief of staff in the homeland security department under Trump’s administration, supported Mr Kelly’s assertion of Trump as an undemocratic and authoritarian leader in an interview with Politico. She affirmed Trump’s autocratic tendencies and his shift towards extreme nationalism.
Trump’s Republican backers downplayed Kelly’s criticisms. Chris Sununu, the Republican governor of New Hampshire, labelled his characterisation of the ex-president as “ludicrous,” while acknowledging that Trump’s tendency for making radical statements was well-understood by voters.
“I admire John Kelly greatly, but it’s clear to all that there’s a significant personal relationship divide,” commented Mr Sununu to NewsNation.
This argument has diverted attention from other campaign trail happenings. The Republican candidate, in his recent spree of threats, targeted Jack Smith, special counsel appointed by the justice department to probe into allegations that Trump attempted to reverse the 2020 election results and conceal classified data.
When conservative broadcaster Hugh Hewitt queried whether Trump would grant himself a presidential pardon or sack Smith if elected, Trump casually responded, “It’s so simple. He would be gone within seconds.”
Further, he pointed out that they have ‘legal protection from the supreme court’, referring to a ruling by the conservative-majority court last June that presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts done in their official capacity.