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Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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John Kelly warned that Trump is a fascist. Right-wing media absurdly claim by citing him that Kamala Harris is inspiring “assassins.”

PJ Media: “If you keep calling someone Hitler, eventually, someone will feel morally obligated to take action”

Written by Charis Hoard

Published

This week, retired Gen. John Kelly -- former chief of staff to former President Donald Trump -- asserted in interviews with The New York Times that he believed Trump “falls into the general definition of fascist” and that he has previously praised Adolf Hitler. 

Vice President Kamala Harris echoed the sentiments during her town hall on Wednesday night when asked about Kelly’s comments, sending right-wing media into an uproar. 

In a desperate attempt to spin the serious remarks about Trump into a negative story about Harris, right-wing media figures attacked the Democratic nominee, calling her hypocritical, claiming that she was repeating unsubstantiated claims, and suggesting she’s inciting violence against Trump by agreeing with Kelly’s comments.

  • Trump’s former chief of staff said Trump “falls into the general definition of fascist,” which Harris echoed during her town hall

    • Kelly claimed that Trump “falls into the general definition of fascist” in a series of interviews with The New York Times. Kelly also claimed that Trump has previously expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler, and he told The Atlantic that Trump had previously said, “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had.” [The New York Times, 10/22/24; The Atlantic, 10/22/24]
    • During a CNN town hall on Wednesday night, Harris echoed Kelly’s statement, agreeing that Trump “is a fascist.” Harris asserted multiple times that she believes Trump is a fascist, saying that, if reelected, Trump would be “a president who admires dictators and is a fascist.” [The Associated Press, 10/24/24]
    • In response to her comments, Trump attacked Harris on Truth Social, calling her a “Threat to Democracy” who is “increasingly raising her rhetoric” against him. Trump: “Comrade Kamala Harris sees that she is losing, and losing badly, especially after stealing the Race from Crooked Joe Biden, so now she is increasingly raising her rhetoric, going so far as to call me Adolf Hitler, and anything else that comes to her warped mind. She is a Threat to Democracy, and not fit to be President of the United States — And her Polling so indicates!” [Truth Social, 10/23/24]

  • Right-wing media attacked Harris for echoing Kelly’s remarks, calling her hypocritical, claiming that she was repeating “unsubstantiated claims,” and saying she was inciting violence against Trump

    • Townhall's site Twitchy suggested Harris is hypocritical for agreeing with Kelly after previously criticizing him. Twitchy referenced a 2019 post from Harris where she asserted that Kelly “was the architect of the Trump Administration's cruel child separation policy,” saying that Democrats “really turned on a dime when it comes to trusting Kelly’s integrity.” [Twitchy, 10/24/24; Twitter/X, 5/3/19]
    • Conservative writer John Solomon claimed that Harris had previously “declared John Kelly had an ‘inability to speak truth to power,’” and claimed that “reporters who covered Harris’ attack conference had an obligation to report this.” [Twitter/X, 10/24/24]
    • PJ Media posted a piece titled “Kamala Harris Is Trying to Get Trump Shot at Again.” The piece noted, “If you keep calling someone Hitler, eventually, someone will feel morally obligated to take action. This isn’t just innocent hyperbole: it’s a calculated narrative meant to provoke. For years, Democrats and media figures have portrayed Trump not as a political adversary but as an existential threat. That’s how we’ve ended up with two assassination attempts within just nine weeks.” [PJ Media, 10/24/24]
    • The Washington Free Beacon claimed that Harris wrongly characterized Trump as “increasingly unstable and unfit to serve,” asserting that she was pushing “fear” as a campaign message. The article also highlighted Harris’ previous criticisms of Kelly, saying she “once denounced [him] as ‘cruel’ and ‘unethical.’” [The Washington Free Beacon, 10/24/24]
    • The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway posted that Harris’ closing argument is: “We need Trump's cholesterol numbers and he has secretly told John Kelly evil things he's never told anyone else.” Hemingway: “Trump closing argument: ‘I'll fight for you and do for you what I did before on the economy, foreign policy, border, etc.’ Harris: ‘We need Trump's cholesterol numbers and he has secretly told John Kelly evil things he's never told anyone else.’” [Twitter/X, 10/23/24]
    • Right-wing radio host Bo Snerdley asserted that “Kelly is a fired employee. Who apparently bears a grudge. Let's see how many ‘fired’ or former employees of Ms. Harris - and there are many - get quoted in these final two weeks.” [Twitter/X, 10/23/24]
    • Jesse Kelly Show host Jesse Kelly claimed that the Harris campaign “has a billion dollars, an army of consultants, months to work on a plan,” but her “October surprise” is a sign that “this campaign ain’t gonna make it.” Kelly claimed that the surprise was “the same ‘Trump is Hitler!’ drivel we’ve been hearing since he came down the escalator in 2015.” [Twitter/X, 10/23/24]
    • Conspiracy theorist Julie Kelly called Harris “desperate” and said she is repeating “unsubstantiated claims by John Kelly and Trump's alleged desire to hire generals like Hitler had.” Kelly also called Harris’ comments “desperate and disgusting conduct not just by a presidential candidate but a sitting vice president,” adding “This is not how winners behave.” [Twitter/X, 10/23/24]
    • The Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross asserted that Harris is “currently touting John Kelly, whom she called ‘unethical’ a few years ago.” [Twitter/X, 10/23/24]
    • Fox host Sean Hannity linked Harris’ comment to past assassination attempts against Trump, seemingly suggesting that Harris is encouraging violence against Trump by echoing Kelly’s comments. Hannity: “Kamala Harris said ‘Donald Trump wants generals like Hitler’ tonight and apparently said earlier, you know, that he’s a fascist. The man now — we had two would-be assassins. … This rhetoric is getting so over the top, and it seems like that’s all they’re doubling down and tripling down on. And I would expect we’re probably gonna have an October surprise, maybe five a day, every day, for the next 13 days.” [Fox News, Hannity, 10/23/24]
    • Former GOP presidential candidate and Fox Nation host Vivek Ramaswamy called on Harris to “step up and apologize” for “stoking this culture of political violence that was shameful.” [Fox News, Hannity, 10/23/24]
    • America Reports' John Roberts claimed that Harris’ closing argument for her campaign is improperly focused on Trump. Roberts: “We are seeing Kamala Harris' closing argument for the last 13 days is ‘Trump is a fascist, he embraces Hitler and wants to have his generals.’ She's not saying to young Black men across the country: ‘Here's what I'm going to do for you economically.’” [Media Matters, 10/23/24]