Former President Barack Obama delivered a stark warning on the campaign trail in Georgia, urging voters not to dismiss alarming revelations about Donald Trump's leadership style made by former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Addressing a crowd on Thursday night, Obama highlighted Kelly's comments, which paint a picture of Trump as someone who admired the authoritarian tactics of Adolf Hitler and allegedly expressed a desire for similar loyalty from his military leaders.
"Just because he acts goofy," Obama cautioned, referencing Trump's erratic speeches, "does not mean his presidency would not be dangerous." He pointed to Kelly's statements in a New York Times interview, where Kelly claimed Trump had expressed admiration for Hitler's generals, suggesting the former president longed for the same level of unquestioning obedience.
The former president stressed that Kelly's comments, alongside those of other former Trump administration officials, should serve as a wake-up call to the American public. "These are serious people," Obama said, referring to Kelly and other ex-officials like former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, both of whom have criticized Trump's authoritarian tendencies. "They are not 'woke liberals,'" he emphasized, countering Trump's frequent derision of his critics.
Obama's remarks followed Vice President Kamala Harris, who echoed similar concerns during her own campaign events. Harris warned that Trump, if re-elected, could claim "unchecked and extreme power" and labeled him a danger to American democracy. She cited Kelly's description of Trump as someone who would govern as a dictator, using the military to target those he deems "the enemy within," which Trump has defined as anyone who opposes him.
This escalating rhetoric comes after Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general who served as Trump's chief of staff for 18 months, gave interviews to both the New York Times and The Atlantic, describing Trump as fitting "the general definition of a fascist." In one of his most explosive revelations, Kelly recounted Trump lamenting that he didn't have generals as loyal as those who served under Hitler, a claim that has added fuel to the intensifying presidential campaign.
Trump, who has consistently labeled criticisms from his former staff as motivated by "Trump Derangement Syndrome," responded with his own verbal attacks on Kelly. On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump called Kelly a "degenerate" and a "low life," accusing him of fabricating the Hitler remarks out of hatred. Trump's campaign dismissed the comments from Kelly as politically motivated, especially as they are now central to the 2024 election debate.
"John Kelly is a low life," Trump wrote. "This guy had two qualities, which don't work well together. He was tough and dumb."
Despite Trump's denials, Kelly's portrayal has found support among former officials who worked under the Trump administration. Elizabeth Neumann, a former deputy chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security, backed Kelly's assessment, telling Politico that Trump "does not operate by the rule of law." She went on to describe his behavior as displaying "authoritarian tendencies" and argued that Trump's ultra-nationalism fits the profile of a leader who is a threat to democratic norms.
The revelations have also further polarized the electorate. Republican supporters of Trump, including New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, have downplayed Kelly's remarks, calling them "outrageous" and dismissing Trump's extreme statements as "baked in" to voters' perceptions. Sununu argued that Kelly's personal animosity toward Trump has influenced his portrayal of the former president.
As the 2024 campaign progresses, the discourse surrounding Trump's alleged authoritarianism has become a central issue. Harris, in a recent CNN town hall, commended Kelly for what she described as a "911 call" to the nation, alerting the public to the dangers of re-electing Trump. Harris's speech was met with backlash from Trump's camp, which accused her of making dangerous and inflammatory remarks. Trump's campaign communications director, Steven Cheung, said Harris's rhetoric was "directly to blame for the multiple assassination attempts against President Trump."
In addition to these personal and political attacks, Trump's legal battles continue to weigh heavily on his campaign. The former president has repeatedly vowed to fire special counsel Jack Smith, who is investigating his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, if he wins back the White House. "It's so easy. I would fire him within two seconds," Trump said during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
As Obama and Harris intensify their attacks on Trump's leadership style, the question of Trump's intentions for a second term remains a key focal point. "Unlike the first time, he won't have people like John Kelly around to stop him," Obama warned. "He will be surrounded by people just as loony as he is and who will let him do what he wants."
