In a furious response, former President Donald Trump erupted at retired General John Kelly, his former chief of staff, after Kelly leveled explosive accusations against him.
On Tuesday, the New York Times unveiled audio of Kelly alleging that Trump harbors fascist tendencies, even stating that the ex-president remarked Adolf Hitler “did some good things.” Kelly also detailed in The Atlantic that Trump expressed a wish for the loyalty of “Hitler’s generals.” Further adding fuel to the fire, Kelly recounted Trump’s vile comments about the funeral costs for murdered U.S. soldier Vanessa Guillén: “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a fucking Mexican!”
Trump’s team immediately denied these allegations, but the former president didn’t keep silent for long. On Wednesday, he took to Truth Social to lash out at Kelly, branding him a product of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and claiming he fabricated the stories out of “pure hatred.”
“Thank you for your support against a total degenerate named John Kelly, who made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred! This guy had two qualities that don’t work well together: he was tough and dumb. The problem is his toughness morphed into weakness, because he became JELLO with time!” Trump wrote.
He added: “The story about the Soldiers was A LIE, as are numerous other stories he told. Even though I shouldn’t be wasting my time with him, I always feel it’s necessary to hit back in pursuit of THE TRUTH. John Kelly is a LOWLIFE, and a bad General, whose advice in the White House I no longer sought, and told him to MOVE ON! His wife once told me, at Camp David, John admires you tremendously, and when he leaves the Military, he will only speak well of you. I said, Thank you!”
Kelly’s harsh assessment mirrors that of retired General Mark Milley, who chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump, labeling him “a fascist to the core.” The growing chorus of criticism highlights an alarming view of a former president whose rhetoric and actions continue to provoke outrage.
