Kamala Harris on Wednesday used the power of the vice presidential residence to unleash a scathing attack on her Republican rival Donald Trump, warning he would be another Adolf Hitler if he wins a second term in the White House.
Standing outside her home at the U.S. Naval Observatory, Harris cited an interview Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly gave to the New York Times where he said Trump often spoke admirably of Hitler when he was in the White House.
‘It is deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous that Donald Trump would invoke Adolf Hitler – the man who is responsible for the deaths of 6 million Jews,’ Harris said.
‘Donald Trump is increasingly unhinged and unstable and, in a second term, people like John Kelly would not be there to be the guard rails against his propensities and his actions,’ she added.
‘So the bottom line is this, we know what Donald Trump wants. He wants unchecked power. The question in 13 days will be, what do the American people want?’
Kamala Harris indicated Donald Trump would act like a dictator if he wins in November
Harris and her surrogates have increased their attacks on Trump as the election gets closer and polls show the race is a virtual tie.
Wednesday’s marked Harris’ most direct and daring attack to date, where she essentially charged that Trump would turn the country into a police state if he wins the November election.
Her speech came 13 days before the election. The vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory is rarely used as the setting for political events.
‘This is a window into who Donald Trump really is from the people who know him best, from the people who worked with him side-by-side in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room and it is clear from John Kelly’s words that Donald Trump is someone who I quote, certainly falls into the general definition of a fascist,’ Harris said.
Trump’s comments have been previously reported, but usually by anonymous sources, given that protection so the former president didn’t target them.
But now Kelly went on the record with his concerns.
Kelly, who served on Trump’s staff from 2017 to 2019, told the New York Times that Trump meets the ‘definition of fascist’ and claimed the former president does not have an understanding of American history or the Constitution.
Kelly, 74, alleged that Trump once said ‘Hitler did some good things’ and praised the Nazi dictator for having ‘rebuilt the economy’. Kelly also told The Atlantic on Tuesday that Trump said he wanted his staff to be more like ‘German generals in World War II‘ because they were ‘totally loyal’ to Hitler.
Additionally, the retired Marine veteran doubled down on previous claims that Trump branded American servicemembers who died or were injured as ‘suckers and losers’, adding that the ex-president ‘may be the only American citizen that feels that way about those who gave their lives or served their country’.
A Trump campaign spokesperson hit back at Kelly’s claims in a statement to The Times, saying the former political advisor ‘has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated’.
John Kelly (right), Donald Trump’s longest-serving White House chief-of-staff, has doubled down on claims that the former president was a fan of Adolf Hitler and warns he would ‘govern like a dictator if allowed. Kelly and Trump are pictured together in June 2018
Harris used that interview to further her case to be the next president. Kelly has not endorsed her candidacy.
Her remarks were short – only about three minutes – but to the point.
‘Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired four-star general, confirmed that wild Donald Trump was president he said he wanted generals like Adolf Hitler,’ she said.
‘Donald Trump said that because he does not want a military that is loyal to the united States constitution. He wants a military that is loyal to him. He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally. One that we’ll obey his orders even when he tells them to break the law or abandon their oath to the constitution of the United States,’ she added.
‘In just the past week, Donald Trump has repeatedly called his fellow Americans the enemy from within – even said that he would use the United States military to go after American citizens. And let’s be clear about who he considers to be the enemy from within – anyone who refuses to bend a knee or dares to criticize him,’ she said.