As the 2024 US election day approaches, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly once again voiced opposition to former President Trump. Trump and Pence’s former chief of staff publicly rebutted Kelly’s remarks, calling them blatantly false.
Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, served in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. During the 2024 presidential election, he has openly criticized Trump multiple times.
Recently, in interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic, Kelly claimed that Trump fits the general definition of “fascist” and accused the former president of wanting “German generals,” similar to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Several former White House officials from the Trump era, including Mike Ayers, former chief of staff to Vice President Pence, strongly refuted Kelly’s claims.
“I have always avoided commenting on leaks or rumors even lies within the staff, but because this is related to my time in the White House, and General Kelly’s comments about President Trump are too shocking to ignore,” Ayers posted on social media, “I have spent more time with him (Kelly) than most people, his comments are ‘blatantly misleading’.”
Mark Paoletta, former General Counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), also unequivocally refuted Kelly’s claims.
Paoletta wrote on social media, “Every word he (Kelly) said is not believable. He was a terrible chief of staff, deliberately withholding information from the (former) president to pursue his own agenda.”
Trump himself condemned Kelly’s fabricated stories on October 23rd, calling it a product of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
On Truth Social and another platform, Trump wrote, “Although I shouldn’t waste my time with him (Kelly), I always feel the need to counterattack to clarify the truth.”
Kelly’s two interviews come less than two weeks before election day, as several states conduct early voting and Trump leads in battleground states’ polls.
Following the publication of Kelly’s two interview reports, Democratic candidate and Vice President Harris expressed her belief that Trump is a fascist during a town hall meeting on CNN.
Independent presidential candidate in 2024, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., directly responded to the aforementioned comments on social media. He stated, “Such rhetoric is divisive, fueling incendiary poison that is tearing our country apart.”
The Atlantic also claimed that Trump made disparaging remarks about a deceased military member and hesitated on covering her funeral costs.
At a press conference in Austin, Texas on Friday, Trump publicly denied these accusations.
“If they couldn’t get Army funds, I would fund it myself,” Trump said regarding the funeral of Vanessa Guillen.
In 2020, 20-year-old Army soldier Guillen was murdered and dismembered at Fort Hood military base in Texas. Guillen’s family revealed that she had been sexually harassed by superiors before her murder, which was ignored by officers at the base.
The case shook American society. The main perpetrator committed suicide after the incident, while a female accomplice was sentenced to 30 years in prison. 21 others involved were disciplined.
In 2021, the US passed “I am Vanessa Guillen Act” to address the issue of sexual crimes within the military.
On October 25th, Trump thanked Guillen’s family for publicly denouncing The Atlantic’s accusations. Guillen’s family showed their support as they attended Trump’s speech at the private plane service company Million Air Austin.
Guillen’s sister, Maya Guillen, and their family lawyer Natalie Khawam posted on social media and appeared on TV, pointing out inaccuracies and falsehoods in The Atlantic’s article.
Trump noted that The Atlantic’s article was published on the eve of the November 5th election, misleading a certain portion of readers and potentially impacting the presidential election.
After discussing various other issues such as illegal immigration and election integrity, Trump stated, “So I talk about it because it’s a terrible thing.”
Epoch Times has sought comment from The Atlantic.
【This article is based on a report from the English Epoch Times】