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International Business Times
International Business Times
Carla St. Louis

Kamala Harris Warns Donald Trump Wants 'Unchecked Power'

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at the Resch Expo Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Credit: Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris double-downed on John Kelly's remarks about former President Donald Trump during her campaign stop at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

Kelly, the former chief of staff to Trump during his presidency, referred to Trump as a "fascist."

"And it is clear from John Kelly's words that Donald Trump is someone who, I quote, 'certainly falls into the general definition of fascist,' who, in fact, vowed to be a dictator on day one and vowed to use the military as his personal militia to carry out his personal and political vendettas," Harris said to C-SPAN.

"So, yesterday, we learned that Donald Trump's former chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired four-star general, confirmed that while Donald Trump was president, he said he wanted generals like Adolf Hitler had. Donald Trump said that because he does 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, one that will obey his orders even when he tells them to break the law or abandon their oath to the Constitution of the United States."

Harris also addressed who Trump views as "the enemy from within," a verbiage he continuously references in his speeches.

"In just the past week, Donald Trump has repeatedly called his fellow Americans the 'enemy from within' and even said that he would use the United States military to go after American citizens," she said. "And let's be clear about who he considers to be the enemy from within. Anyone who refuses to bend a knee or dares to criticize him would qualify, in his mind, as the enemy within, like judges, like journalists, like nonpartisan election officials."

Harris referred to Trump's rhetoric as "deeply troubling" and said, "[it is] 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."

She continued, saying Trump's rhetoric is an insight into who he truly is and notes that the damning commentary that's being said about him stems "from people who know him best, from the people who worked with him side by side in the Oval Office and in the Situation Room."

Harris warned Americans that people like Kelly would not be able to protect them from Trump, if he wins another presidential term.

"Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged and unstable," she said. "And in a second term, people like John Kelly would not be there to be the guardrails against his propensities and his actions. Those who once tried to stop him from pursuing his worst impulses would no longer be there and no longer be there to rein him in."

She ended her speech with a call for action to all voters. "So, the bottom line is this: We know what Donald Trump wants. He wants unchecked power. The question in 13 days will be: What do the American people want," she asked.

This week, many supporters of the Democratic Party such as actor Bradley Whitford of The West Wing and porn stars, publicly denounced Trump for the presidential candidacy.

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