It was in early September 2020, as early voting was poised to begin in several states, when The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published a staggering report on Donald Trump, his denigration of those who serve in the military, and his condemnation of fallen American heroes as “suckers” and “losers.”
The then-president wasted little time pushing back, insisting that the reporting was “made up“ and a “fake story.” Reflecting on the quotes attributed to him, Trump went on to say at a Labor Day press conference, “Who would say a thing like that? Only an animal would say things like that.”
Even at the time, the defenses were difficult to believe. In fact, much of the reporting in The Atlantic’s article was corroborated by related reporting from The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and even Fox News.
Three years later, it’s also been confirmed by Trump’s former White House chief of staff. CNN reported:
John Kelly, the longest-serving White House chief of staff for Donald Trump, offered his harshest criticism yet of the former president in an exclusive statement to CNN. Kelly set the record straight with on-the-record confirmation of a number of damning stories about statements Trump made behind closed doors attacking US service members and veterans, listing a number of objectionable comments Kelly witnessed Trump make firsthand.
When CNN asked Kelly if he wanted to weigh in on his former boss on the record, the retired general responded, “What can I add that has not already been said? A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family — for all Gold Star families — on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.
“A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women,” Kelly continued. “A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason — in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.
“There is nothing more that can be said,” Kelly concluded. “God help us.”
When CNN sought comment from Trump’s political operation, the Republican’s campaign responded by going after retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley, “who had nothing to do with this story.”
As regular readers know, after Trump left the White House, John Kelly, the man who served as the Republican president’s chief of staff for 17 months, has struggled to contain his contempt for his former boss. Over the last couple of years, the retired Marine general, who also served as Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, has accused Trump of, among other things, “poisoning” people’s minds, having “serious character issues,” and not being “a real man.”
Just as notably, Kelly has also raised concerns about Trump’s abuses while in office. Last fall, for example, Kelly told the Times that Trump, during his presidency, told his chief of staff to use the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department to target his critics and perceived political foes. Now, Kelly is going even further, confirming that the former president, while in office, disparaged troops, veterans,and their families. I’m mindful of the fact that Trump’s followers reflexively distrust the Republican’s opponents, but it’s worth reemphasizing that Kelly isn’t a pundit, scholar, or elected official — he’s the man Trump personally tapped to oversee his White House. He’s also the man who appears desperate to warn the public about the former’s president’s character. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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