Vice President Kamala Harris said that she believes that Donald Trump 91裸聊视频渋s a fascist91裸聊视频� after his longest-serving chief of staff said the former president praised Adolf Hitler while in office and put personal loyalty above the Constitution.
Harris seized on comments by former chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, about his former boss in interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic published Tuesday warning that the Republican nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that Trump, while in office, suggested that the Nazi leader 91裸聊视频渄id some good things.91裸聊视频�
Speaking at a CNN town hall Wednesday night, Harris said they offer a window into who the former president 91裸聊视频渞eally is91裸聊视频� and the kind of commander in chief he would be.
When asked if she believed that Trump is a fascist, Harris replied twice, 91裸聊视频淵es, I do.91裸聊视频� Later, she brought it up herself, saying Trump would, if elected again, be 91裸聊视频渁 president who admires dictators and is a fascist.91裸聊视频�
The Democratic presidential nominee said Kelly91裸聊视频檚 comments, less than two weeks before voters will decide whether to send Trump back to the Oval Office, were a 91裸聊视频�911 call to the American people91裸聊视频� by the former chief of staff. They were quickly seized by Harris as part of her closing message to voters as she works to sharpen the choice at the ballot box for Americans.
91裸聊视频淚 believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of the United States of America,91裸聊视频� she said, saying the American people deserve a president who maintains 91裸聊视频渃ertain standards,91裸聊视频� which include 91裸聊视频渃ertainly not comparing oneself, in a clearly admiring way, to Hitler.91裸聊视频�
She added that if reelected, Trump would no longer be tempered by people who would 91裸聊视频渞estrain him91裸聊视频� from his worst impulses.
Earlier Wednesday, Harris repeated her increasingly dire warnings about Trump91裸聊视频檚 mental fitness and his intentions for the presidency.
91裸聊视频淭his is a window into who Donald Trump really is, from the people who know him best, from the people who have worked with him side by side in the Oval Office and in the Situation Room,91裸聊视频� Harris told reporters outside the vice president91裸聊视频檚 residence in Washington.
The comments from Kelly, the retired Marine general who worked for Trump in the White House from 2017 to 2019, built on past warnings from former top Trump officials as the election enters its final two weeks.
Kelly has long been critical of Trump and previously accused him of killed in combat 91裸聊视频渟uckers91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频渓osers.91裸聊视频� His new warnings emerged as Trump seeks a second term vowing to at home and suggesting he would use force to go after Americans he considers 91裸聊视频渆nemies from within.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淗e commented more than once that, 91裸聊视频榊ou know, Hitler did some good things, too,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Kelly . Kelly said he would usually quash the conversation by saying 91裸聊视频渘othing (Hitler) did, you could argue, was good,91裸聊视频� but Trump would occasionally bring up the topic again.
In his , Kelly recalled that when Trump raised the idea of needing 91裸聊视频淕erman generals,91裸聊视频� Kelly would ask if he meant 91裸聊视频淏ismarck91裸聊视频檚 generals,91裸聊视频� referring to Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor who oversaw the unification of Germany. 91裸聊视频淪urely you can91裸聊视频檛 mean Hitler91裸聊视频檚 generals,91裸聊视频� Kelly recalled asking Trump. To which the former president responded, 91裸聊视频淵eah, yeah, Hitler91裸聊视频檚 generals.91裸聊视频�
Trump said on his Truth Social media platform that Kelly had 91裸聊视频渕ade up a story91裸聊视频� and went on to heap insults on his former chief of staff, including that Kelly91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渢oughness morphed into weakness.91裸聊视频�
Trump91裸聊视频檚 campaign also denied the accounts. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Kelly had 91裸聊视频渂eclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated91裸聊视频� and, after Harris91裸聊视频� statement, accused the Democratic candidate of sharing 91裸聊视频渙utright lies and falsehoods.91裸聊视频�
Chris Sununu, New Hampshire91裸聊视频檚 Republican governor and onetime Trump critic, said Kelly91裸聊视频檚 comments did not change his plans to vote for the former president.
91裸聊视频淟ook, we91裸聊视频檝e heard a lot of extreme things about Donald Trump, from Donald Trump. It91裸聊视频檚 really par for the course,91裸聊视频� the governor told CNN. 91裸聊视频淯nfortunately, with a guy like that, it91裸聊视频檚 kind of baked into the vote at this point.91裸聊视频�
Some of the former president91裸聊视频檚 supporters in swing states responded to Kelly91裸聊视频檚 comments with a shrug.
91裸聊视频淭rump did his four years, and we were in great shape. Kelly didn91裸聊视频檛 have anything good to say about Trump. He ought to have his butt kicked,91裸聊视频� said Jim Lytner, a longtime advocate for veterans in Nevada who served in the Army in Vietnam and co-founded the nonprofit Veterans Transition Resource Center.
Harris said Wednesday that Trump admired Hitler91裸聊视频檚 generals because he 91裸聊视频渄oes not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution, he wants a military that is loyal to him. He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally.91裸聊视频�
Polls show the race is tight in swing states, and both Trump and Harris are crisscrossing the country making their final pitches to the sliver of undecided voters. Harris91裸聊视频� campaign has spent considerable time reaching out to independent voters, using the support of longtime Republicans such as former Rep. Liz Cheney and comments like Kelly91裸聊视频檚 to urge past Trump voters to reject his candidacy in November.
Harris91裸聊视频� campaign held a call with reporters Tuesday to elevate the voices of retired military officials who highlighted how .
91裸聊视频淧eople that know him best are most opposed to him, his presidency,91裸聊视频� said retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson.
Anderson said he wished Kelly would fully back Harris over Trump, something he has yet to do. But retired Army Reserve Col. Kevin Carroll, a former senior counselor to Kelly, said Wednesday that the former top Trump official would 91裸聊视频渞ather chew broken glass than vote for Donald Trump.91裸聊视频�
Before serving as Trump91裸聊视频檚 chief of staff, Kelly worked as the former president91裸聊视频檚 secretary of homeland security, where he oversaw Trump91裸聊视频檚 attempts to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Kelly was also at the forefront of the administration91裸聊视频檚 crackdown in immigration policy that led to the separation of thousands of immigrant parents and their children along the southern border. Those actions made him a villain to many on the left, including Harris.
After Kelly left the Trump administration and of a company operating the nation91裸聊视频檚 largest detention center for unaccompanied migrant children, Harris wrote during her 2019 run for president that he was 91裸聊视频渢he architect91裸聊视频� of the administration91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渃ruel child separation policy. Now he will profit off the separation of families. It91裸聊视频檚 unethical. We are better than this.91裸聊视频�
When she was in Miami for a primary debate in June 2019, Harris was also one of a dozen Democratic presidential candidates who visited the detention center south of the city and protested against the administration91裸聊视频檚 harsh treatment of young migrants.
In his interview with the Times, Kelly also said Trump met the definition of a fascist. After reading the definition aloud, including that fascism was 91裸聊视频渁 far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader,91裸聊视频� Kelly concluded Trump 91裸聊视频渃ertainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.91裸聊视频�
Kelly added that Trump often fumed at any attempt to constrain his power, and that 91裸聊视频渉e would love to be91裸聊视频� a dictator.
91裸聊视频淗e certainly prefers the dictator approach to government,91裸聊视频� Kelly told the Times, adding later, 91裸聊视频淚 think he91裸聊视频檇 love to be just like he was in business 91裸聊视频� he could tell people to do things and they would do it, and not really bother too much about whether what the legalities were and whatnot.91裸聊视频�
Kelly is not the first former top Trump administration official to cast the former president as a threat.
Retired Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, who served as Trump91裸聊视频檚 chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that Trump was 91裸聊视频渇ascist to the core91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频渢he most dangerous person to this country.91裸聊视频� And retired Gen. Jim Mattis, who worked as secretary of defense under Trump, that he agreed with Milley91裸聊视频檚 assessment.
Throughout Trump91裸聊视频檚 political rise, the businessman-turned-politician benefited from the support of military veterans.
AP VoteCast that about 6 in 10 military veterans said they voted for Trump in 2020, as did just over half of those with a veteran in the household. Among voters in this year91裸聊视频檚 South Carolina Republican primary, AP VoteCast found that close to two-thirds of military veterans and people in veteran households voted for Trump over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump91裸聊视频檚 toughest opponent in the 2024 Republican primary.
