Trump is a ‘fascist’ who praised Hitler, former chief of staff claims

John Kelly claims Trump praised Nazi Germany dictator multiple times during his presidency

Donald Trump once admired the work of Adolf Hitler and “certainly prefers the dictator approach to government”, his former chief of staff has claimed in comments that are set to shake the former president’s re-election campaign.
Describing his ex-boss as lacking empathy and fitting “into the general definition of fascist”, John Kelly said that he had witnessed Trump praising the Nazi Germany dictator on more than one occasion. 
Mr Kelly, who was the White House chief of staff between 2017 and 2019, alleged: “He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too’.”
The Trump campaign immediately denied the claims. 
The damning statements from the retired US Marine general marked the latest in a series of warnings from former aides who have raised concerns about how Trump would govern if he returned to power following the November election. 
Earlier this month, Mark Milley, a retired general, branded Trump a “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country”.
Gen Milley served for over a year as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump before continuing in the position under Joe Biden, the US president.
But Mr Kelly’s language is among the strongest given his position. Few top officials spent more time behind closed doors in the White House with Trump than his longest serving chief of staff.
“Looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterised by a dictatorial leader, centralised autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” Mr Kelly told The New York Times. 
“So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that [Trump] thinks would work better in terms of running America… He certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure. 
“He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government.”
He told The Atlantic that Trump had wanted loyal military leaders, the “kind of generals Hitler had”. 
Mr Kelly claimed that Trump told him during a private conversation at the White House when he was president that he wanted “people who were totally loyal to him, that follow orders” .
“Do you mean Bismarck’s generals?” Mr Kelly said he had asked Trump. 
“I mean, I knew he didn’t know who Bismarck was, or about the Franco-Prussian War. I said, ‘Do you mean the kaiser’s generals? Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.’ 
“I explained to him that Rommel had to commit suicide after taking part in a plot against Hitler.”
Alex Pfeiffer, Trump’s campaign adviser, said the exchange never happened. 
“This is absolutely false. President Trump never said this,” Mr Pfeiffer said. 
Mr Kelly also repeated in media interviews published on Tuesday his previous allegation that Trump had privately called soldiers injured or killed in combat “losers and suckers”.
Responding to the allegation, Steven Cheung, the communications director of the Trump campaign said it was their opponent, Kamala Harris, who had disparaged veterans. 
“John Kelly has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated because he failed to serve his President well while working as chief of staff and currently suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Mr Cheung said. 
When asked by the New York Times whether he thought that Trump had any “empathy,” Mr Kelly answered “no”. 
Just two weeks from the election, polling in the battleground states show that the race remains incredibly tight, as Ms Harris and Trump both aim to win in the Sun Belt.
A newly released Washington Post-Schar School poll showed that Ms Harris and Trump were statistically deadlocked in each of the seven swing states, where the former president once dominated.