Former national security adviser John Bolton suggested Tuesday that a second Trump administration poses a “danger” to the country, but that former President Donald Trump is “not capable” of becoming a fascist.
“I think it's a mistake to get into a debate about whether or not Mr. Trump fits the definition of a fascist,” Bolton said in an interview on CNN's “The Source” Tuesday night.
“I think his actions alone are problematic enough,” he told host Caitlan Collins. “To be a fascist, you have to have a philosophy. Trump doesn't have that ability.”
“As you know, Adolf Hitler wrote a very disturbing book called 'Mein Kampf.' Donald Trump couldn't even read that book all the way through, much less write something like that. I couldn’t even write,” Bolton added in a comment. Highlighted by Mediaite.
He added: “I don't want to underestimate the danger of a Trump presidency. I think it's important to focus on the danger itself.”
Bolton's comments came after retired Gen. John Kelly, who served as White House chief of staff during Trump's first term, told The Atlantic on tape that the Republican candidate praised the loyalty of Hitler's generals. It was done after.
In his op-ed published Tuesday, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that Kelly told me that “when President Trump brought up the topic of 'German generals,' Kelly responded: “What does that mean?'' he wrote. [Otto von] General Bismarck? ”
“So I knew he didn't know who Bismarck was, he didn't know about the Franco-Prussian War,” Kelly reportedly told Goldberg. “I said, 'Are you talking about the Kaiser's generals?' You mean Hitler's generals, right? And he said, 'Yes, yes, Hitler's generals.' Ta. I explained to him as follows [Erwin] Rommel had to commit suicide after participating in a conspiracy against Hitler. ”
Goldberg also reported that the former president said in a private conversation that “we need a general like Hitler,” citing “two people who heard him speak.”
“The people were completely loyal to him and followed his orders,” the former president reportedly added.
The Trump campaign rejected all accounts published in The Atlantic.
“This is completely false. President Trump never said that,” Trump campaign adviser Alex Pfeiffer said in a statement to The Hill.
The news comes as President Trump has ratcheted up his rhetoric in the final weeks of the 2024 campaign, stoking fears of retribution against political opponents and hinting that he may use the military to quell protests. It was reported during the
