Donald Trump reportedly once said that he needed “the kind of generals that Hitler had” in private conversations during his time in the White House, as one of his former chief of staff said he met the criteria for a “fascist.”
The claims come as part of a report in The Atlantic, which states that the former president held a disdain and misunderstanding of the military.
“I need the kind of generals that Hitler had,” Trump reportedly said in a private conversation in the White House, according to The Atlantic, citing two people who heard him say this. “People who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders.”
The claims were vehemently denied by Trump campaign spokesman Alex Pfeiffer, who told The Independent: “This is absolutely false, President Trump never said this.”
However, in a new interview with The New York Times, former Trump chief of staff John Kelly said that the former president meets the definition of a fascist and, if re-elected, would govern like a dictator if allowed.
“Looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” he said.
Kelly told The Times that the definition accurately described Trump, adding: “In my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America.”
He added that the former president’s recent comments about using the military against what he called the “enemy within” were so dangerous that he felt he had to speak out.
Kelly has also previously accused Trump of making similar remarks to those reported by The Atlantic, reportedly once asked him “Why can’t you be like the German generals.” The exchange was reported in The Divider: Trump in the White House, a book by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser.
Per the book, Kelly explained to Trump that German generals “tried to kill Hitler three times and almost pulled it off.” “No, no, no, they were totally loyal to him,” the president is said to have responded.
In a later interview with The Atlantic, Kelly confirmed that Trump had been referring to military leaders under Hitler when he discussed “German generals.”
In an interview for CNN reporter Jim Sciutto’s book, The Return of Great Powers, Kelly said that Trump praised aspects of Hitler’s leadership. “He said, ‘Well, but Hitler did some good things,’” Kelly recalled.
“I said, ‘Well, what?’ And he said, ‘Well, (Hitler) rebuilt the economy.’ But what did he do with that rebuilt economy? He turned it against his own people and against the world.”
He continued: “I said, ‘Sir, you can never say anything good about the guy. Nothing.’”
The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign over the latest claims made in the article published by The Atlantic, which also contained claims about remarks made about military families.
“President Donald Trump has spent his life caring for America's military heroes,” Pfeiffer said in a statement to The Independent. “As President, he kept our troops out of harm’s way, secured the largest pay raise for our troops in a decade, and signed historic VA reforms.
As a private citizen, he has financially supported veterans and has forcefully advocated for the Kabul Gold Star families. There has been no greater advocate for our brave military men and women than Donald J. Trump."
The outlet previously reported on claims about the former president’s attitude to military personnel in 2020, which Kelly confirmed earlier this year.
Kelly said Trump turned towards him on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in 2017 and said “I don’t get it, what’s in it for them.”
He also told how the former president insulted former Senator John McCain and former president George Bush because they are veterans and were shot down during Vietnam and World War II respectively, also alleging that Trump did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because it didn’t look good for him.
The Trump campaign has also previously denied these claims.
