Ex-Trump Officials Rally Behind Kelly’s Warning: A Critical Moment in American Politics
In a dramatic development that could reshape the political landscape just days before the November 5 election, thirteen former Trump administration officials have united to support explosive claims made by John Kelly, former White House Chief of Staff, about Donald Trump’s leadership style and concerning statements during his presidency.
These officials, who all identify as “lifelong Republicans,” penned a letter that the Harris campaign released on Friday, strongly endorsing Kelly’s recent revelations about the former president.
Kelly’s allegations, published earlier this week in multiple media interviews, paint a troubling picture of Trump’s leadership tendencies and alleged praise of authoritarian figures.
“We applaud General Kelly for highlighting in stark detail the danger of a second Trump term,” the letter declares. “Everyone should heed General Kelly’s warning.”
Among the prominent signatories are:
- Stephanie Grisham is a former White House press secretary.
- The former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security is Miles Taylor.
- Alyssa Farah Griffin, co-host of ABC’s “The View” and former Trump press secretary
- Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director
- Sarah Matthews, former White House deputy press secretary
- Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary of Homeland Security
Kelly’s recent interviews with The Atlantic and The New York Times included shocking claims about Trump’s alleged admiration for authoritarian leadership styles. According to Kelly, Trump repeatedly made positive comments about Hitler and expressed a desire for “the kind of generals that Hitler had.” The former chief of staff went further, stating that Trump “meets the general definition of a fascist” and would likely govern as a dictator if given the opportunity.
The Trump campaign has forcefully pushed back against these allegations. Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed Kelly’s claims as “fabricated” and said Kelly had “totally beclowned himself.” Cheung emphasized Trump’s consistent support for military service members, contrasting it with what he described as Vice President Harris’s disrespect toward military families.
Adding another perspective to the controversy, Nick Ayers, former chief of staff to Mike Pence, defended Trump against Kelly’s accusations. “This unequivocally did not happen. Full stop,” Ayers stated during an appearance on Fox News.
He argued that given Kelly’s known tendency to voice disagreements with Trump to senior staff, such serious incidents would have become public immediately if they had occurred.
The timing of these revelations, just 11 days before the election, has led many political analysts to label this as a potential “October surprise.” Jim Messina, President Obama’s 2012 campaign manager and informal Harris adviser, called it “as close to an October surprise as you can get,” noting the unprecedented nature of such warnings from a former top aide.
Trump took to Truth Social to defend himself, calling Kelly’s account “a lie” born out of “pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred!” He described Kelly as a “low life and a bad general,” claiming he had stopped seeking Kelly’s advice during his White House tenure.
With polls indicating a close race between Trump and Vice President Harris as the November 5 election draws near, it is unclear how these allegations will affect voters.
The letter’s signatories stress that this moment transcends party loyalty, stating, “There are moments in history where it becomes necessary to put country over party. This is one of those moments.”