Kamala Harris, speaking from the steps of the vice president’s residence, rebuked Donald Trump for reportedly saying he wanted “the kind of generals that Hitler had.”
“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,” Harris said. “He wants a military that is loyal to him personally.”
Harris went on to call Trump “increasingly unhinged and unstable.”
“In a second term, people like John Kelly would not be there to be the guardrails against his propensities and his actions,” she said.
Trump’s comments about his desire for German generals were first reported in 2021. Former general and White House chief of staff John Kelly recounted the incident this week in an interview with The Atlantic.
Kelly said he questioned Trump at the time: “Do you mean the kaiser’s generals? Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals?” Kelly said he asked Trump. “And he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.’”
In an interview with The New York Times Tuesday, Kelly called Trump “authoritarian” and a “fascist.”
“Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that,” Kelly told The New York Times. “So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
Less than two weeks from Election Day, Kelly’s comments fit squarely into one of Harris’ closing arguments in the presidential campaign — as evidenced by her decision to deliver remarks on the reports Wednesday. Harris’ speech was announced at the last minute, with her schedule updated roughly an hour before she began speaking.
After highlighting Kelly’s warnings, Harris emphasized some of Trump’s recent comments, including his claims that there are “enemies from within” and that they could be easily handled by the “National Guard or if really necessary by the military.”
“Let’s be clear about who he considers to be the enemy from within,” Harris said. “Anyone who refuses to bend the knee or dares to criticize him would qualify as the enemy from within. Like judges, like journalists, like nonpartisan election officials.”
Kelly told The New York Times that he had been wary about weighing in on the election, but warned of the dangers Trump poses.
“And I think this issue of using the military on — to go after — American citizens is one of those things I think is a very, very bad thing — even to say it for political purposes to get elected — I think it’s a very, very bad thing, let alone actually doing it,” Kelly told the Times.
Harris’ pitch to voters?
“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?” she said.
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John T. Seward is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.