DEDHAM, Mass. — The recent interviews by a former high-ranking Trump White House official with the New York Times and Atlantic magazine are drawing mixed reactions from state officials, lawmakers, and party leaders in New England.
John Kelly, a decorated retired Marine General and previous Chief of Staff to former Pres. Trump, gave an on-the-record interview to the New York Times, published Tuesday, in which he said his former boss was “certainly an authoritarian” who met the definition of a “fascist.”
In an interview with The Atlantic, he claimed Trump once said he wanted military generals like those who served Hitler.
As one of Trump’s former closest confidants, few would have spent as much time as Kelly behind closed doors with the then-president.
Kelly’s interview has sparked intense dialogue across both political parties. Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, say Kelly’s comments should serve as a warning to voters that Trump is seeking unchecked power.
“I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of the United States,” Harris said during a CNN Town Hall Wednesday evening.
Trump’s recent conversations and comments about the “enemy within,” including suggestions he could use the U.S. military against American citizens, have only further divided voters.
RELATED: Trump tested the limits on using the military at home. If elected again, he plans to go further
“The timing of [Kelly’s] statements, just two weeks before the election, is suspicious and appears opportunistic,” Massachusetts Republican National Committeewoman Janet Fogarty shared in a statement with Boston 25 News. “If he has held these views for so long, why didn’t he voice them right after leaving the White House?”
Fogarty called Kelly’s interviews a last-ditch effort by bureaucrats and career politicians to villainize former Pres. Trump.
Members of the state’s all-Democrat delegation feel differently. Representatives Jake Auchincloss of Newton and Seth Moulton of Salem both served in the Marine Corps and took issue with the former president’s comments about using the military against U.S. citizens
“They certainly degrade morale, and they politicize an institution that must be above politics,” Auchincloss said of Trump’s past remarks. “It’s the kind of thing Putin does in Russia, or Nicolas Maduro would do in Venezuela. It’s not the kind of thing that America does.”
“What’s amazing is how [Trump’s] supporters, including colleagues in Congress who--make no mistake, know better--continue to enable this anti-American criminal,” Moulton shared in a statement to Boston 25 News.
New Hampshire’s Republican governor said neither Kelly’s nor Trump’s comments changed his plans to vote for the former president.
“We’ve heard a lot of extreme things about Donald Trump, from Donald Trump,” Gov. Chris Sununu told CNN. “It’s really par for the course. Unfortunately, with a guy like that, it’s kind of baked into the vote at this point.”
On Wednesday night, Trump blasted Kelly on Truth Social, saying: “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.”
Trump called Kelly a lowlife and a bad General in the post.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said it should be a sign when long-time Republican names abandon Trump, as some former GOP leaders have done.
“Mike Pence is not going to vote for Donald Trump,” Sanders said. “Dick Cheney, one of the most conservative vice-presidents in America’s history and his daughter, Liz Cheney, are not voting for Donald Trump. Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican candidate for president is not voting for Donald Trump.”The Cheneys have said they intend to vote for Harris. Romney previously said he will not vote for Trump, but has not indicated if he will vote for Harris. Pence said earlier this year he would not endorse Trump, but has not explicitly ruled out voting for him. Likewise, former Republican president George W. Bush says he does not plan to endorse a candidate and does not intend to discuss how he will vote.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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