Trump aims to be a fascist dictator, John Kelly says
The retired general was Trump's chief of staff from 2017 to 2019


What happened
John Kelly became the latest retired four-star general who served in Donald Trump's first administration to warn of the dangers of a second Trump term, in articles and audio recordings published Tuesday in The New York Times and The Atlantic. Kelly, Trump's Homeland Security secretary and then White House chief of staff, said in his view, "Trump met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law," the Times paraphrased. Trump told Latino supporters in Florida Tuesday that "as president, you have tremendous ... you have extreme power."
Who said what
Trump "is in the far-right area, he's certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure," Kelly told the Times. "He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government." Kelly also said Trump "commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,'" and affirmed that he heard Trump call fallen or captured U.S. soldiers "suckers and losers" on multiple occasions.
Kelly told The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg that Trump said he wanted his military leaders to be like "Hitler's generals." Kelly's comments, two weeks before the election, echoed former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley's recent remarks to Bob Woodward that Trump is "the most dangerous person to this country" and "a fascist to the core." Retired Gen. James Mattis, Trump's defense secretary, emailed Woodward to agree with Milley, Woodward told The Bulwark last week.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Asked why his former vice president and other Cabinet officials do not support his reelection, Trump told a Univision town hall last week that "about 97% of the people in the administration support me." He told Fox News on Sunday that Milley and Mattis were "not great generals," adding, "I don't respect them as soldiers. I never did."
What next?
Trump's "disinhibition" is both his "great strength" and "terrible flaw," Ezra Klein argued in The New York Times. In his first term there was a "constructive tension between his disinhibition and the constraints of the staff and the bureaucracy" around him, but this time his team is working hard to "remove everything that stopped Trump's worst impulses from becoming geopolitical or constitutional crises."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defense
In the Spotlight Former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
By David Faris Published
-
7 ways to drink spectacularly across the United States this spring
The Week Recommends A bar for every springtime occasion
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Test flight of orbital rocket from Europe explodes
Speed Read Isar Aerospace conducted the first test flight of the Spectrum orbital rocket, which crashed after takeoff
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
The Explainer Trump is not the only US president who has tried to gain control of Greenland
By The Week UK Published
-
What dangers does the leaked Signal chat expose the US to?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The White House's ballooning group chat scandal offered a masterclass in what not to say when prying eyes might be watching
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Even authoritarian regimes need a measure of public support — the consent of at least some of the governed'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published