John Kelly Says Trump Is a Fascist. So Why Isn’t He Endorsing Harris?

Retired Marine General John Kelly, former President Donald Trump’s longest-serving White House chief of staff, has again publicly criticized the Republican nominee, this time labeling him a “fascist” just weeks ahead of Election Day.

Kelly made headlines on Wednesday after The Atlantic published an article and The New York Times released an interview in which he said that Trump had praised Adolf Hitler in his presence while also citing other concerns about Trump’s desire for authoritarian control.

“He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’ ” Kelly recalled to The Times. In his interview with The Atlantic, Kelly recalled that when Trump raised the idea of needing “German generals,” Kelly would ask if he meant “Bismarck’s generals,” referring to Otto von Bismarck, the former chancellor of the German Reich who oversaw the unification of Germany.

Despite his harsh assessment of Trump and making it clear that he will not support his former boss in his bid for a second White House term, Kelly has not suggested that he will endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. With just 13 days remaining, the general continues to remain reticent about publicly endorsing the Democrat, which has caused some disappointment among fellow Trump critics.

During a press call hosted by the Harris campaign on Wednesday, following a number of headlines on Kelly’s recent comments, retired Brigadier General Steve Anderson, a Republican who had previously signed a letter endorsing Harris alongside 700 national security leaders and former military officials, expressed frustration with Kelly’s neutrality.

“I am disappointed that he hasn’t embraced Kamala Harris,” Anderson said, referring to the silence from Kelly and other former Trump officials regarding endorsements. “When they took a political job, like being Trump’s chief of staff, they lost the right to remain neutral.”

Anderson added that he wished Kelly would fully support Harris over Trump, something he has not yet done. “His view is that the general and flag officer corps of the United States military should stay out of partisan politics as much as possible, and I believe he is reluctant to endorse any politician,” he said.

However, retired Army Reserve Colonel Kevin Carroll, a former senior counselor to Kelly who was also present on the press call, said that Kelly “would rather chew broken glass than vote for Donald Trump.”

“He’s clearly spoken out publicly and in a very dramatic way to share his concerns for everyone to consider,” Carroll added.

Kelly has long been critical of Trump, previously accusing him of calling veterans killed in combat “suckers” and “losers.” He also said that Trump often fumed at any attempt to constrain his power and that “he would love to be” a dictator.

Other former Trump administration officials, such as former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, have backed Harris’ White House bid. The vice president has attempted to leverage the doubts raised by former Trump aides to argue that Trump is unfit to return to the White House.

Between October 7 and October 17, three of Harris’ top four ad spots focused on warnings from former Trump aides and other Republicans about another Trump presidency. She has spent more on this message than on any other issue, including abortion, her personal story, policy attacks on Trump, or the economy, according to AdImpact.

“Consider what his closest advisers have said,” Harris urged at a rally Thursday in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, emphasizing the message on the campaign trail. “America must heed this warning.”

In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung claimed that Kelly’s remarks about the former president had been “debunked,” while asserting that Harris had “disrespected” service members instead.