'Are we surprised?' Internet weighs in as ex-chief of staff criticizes Trump for admiring Adolf Hitler

WASHINGTON, DC: In an interview with CNN anchor and chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto, retired General John Kelly, who previously served as White House Chief of Staff during the Trump administration, disclosed that the former President expressed favorable opinions about Adolf Hitler.

According to Kelly, Donald Trump stated that the Nazi leader had accomplished "some good things" and had inspired loyalty within his military.

Per CNN, Sciutto is publishing Kelly's accounts of these conversations as part of a new book, ‘The Rise of Great Powers'.

What did John Kelly say about Donald Trump’s proclivities?

According to several former senior advisers, if Donald Trump were to win the upcoming US presidential election, his foreign policy approach would deviate significantly from that of his predecessors.

Allegedly, he has expressed admiration for several authoritarian leaders, including Hungary's Viktor Orban whom he described as “fantastic,” China's Xi Jinping as “brilliant,” and North Korea's Kim Jong Un as “an OK guy.”

Especially concerning is his purported comment that Adolf Hitler "did some good things," a worldview that would represent a sharp departure from decades-old US foreign policy.

“He’s not a tough guy by any means, but in fact quite the opposite,” Kelly remarked on Trump. “But that’s how he envisions himself.”

The former White House Chief of Staff continued, “He said, ‘Well, but Hitler did some good things'. I said, ‘Well, what?’ And he said, ‘Well, [Hitler] rebuilt the economy'. But what did he do with that rebuilt economy? He turned it against his own people and against the world. And I said, ‘Sir, you can never say anything good about the guy. Nothing'. I mean, Mussolini was a great guy in comparison.”

“It’s pretty hard to believe he missed the Holocaust, though, and pretty hard to understand how he missed the 400,000 American GIs that were killed in the European theater. But I think it’s more, again, the tough guy thing,” the retired general explained.

Kelly claimed that Trump's adoration for Hitler extended beyond his economic policies as the former president also praised Hitler's ability to control senior Nazi officers.

Trump regretted that Hitler, as Kelly described, kept his senior staff's "loyalty," whereas Trump himself often did not.

“He would ask about the loyalty issues and about how, when I pointed out to him the German generals as a group were not loyal to him, and in fact tried to assassinate him a few times, and he didn’t know that,” Kelly recounted.

“He truly believed, when he brought us generals in, that we would be loyal — that we would do anything he wanted us to do,” Kelly shared.

“My theory on why he likes the dictators so much is that’s who he is,” Kelly asserted.

“Every incoming president is shocked that they actually have so little power without going to the Congress, which is a good thing. It’s Civics 101, separation of powers, three equal branches of government. But in his case, he was shocked that he didn’t have dictatorial-type powers to send US forces places or to move money around within the budget. And he looked at Putin and Xi and that nutcase in North Korea as people who were like him in terms of being a tough guy,” he added.

Matthew Pottinger, Trump’s deputy national security adviser, who was involved in the former POTUS’s meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, revealed, “Trump believed in the power of his personal charisma and diplomacy. He had almost unlimited faith in it. That was as true with Kim as it was with Xi — but also with allies too.”

Kelly, among others, reportedly informed Sciutto that they "think that the root of his admiration for these figures is that he envies their power."

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung slammed John Kelly and John Bolton, both of whom have previously criticized Trump.

“John Kelly and John Bolton have completely beclowned themselves and are suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. They need to seek professional help because their hatred is consuming their empty lives,” he wrote in a statement.

Internet slams Donald Trump for his despotic leanings

People on X lambasted the former president after several of his White House aides have come out since and recounted their experience of having to deal with the MAGA strongman inside the Oval Office.

One X user remarked, “Trump views the world's worst dictators as role models."

Another user said, "Are we surprised at all? He has publicly loved authoritarians since 2016. This is the road MAGA wants to go down, and WE must stop them."

"There has never been a dictator who Trump does not love," another user wrote. 

One user asserted, "If there’s any reason why not to vote for trump; this is it!"

Another X user quipped, "Trump likes Hitler?! Of what a shocker!"

A user tweeted, "Trump has spent his entire life admiring and wanting to be a gangster... of course he would have a "soft spot" for some of the world's worst dictators! It's what he aspires to!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.