When Bill Ackman, one of Donald Trump’s prominent billionaire backers, appeared on CNBC, he was asked about former White House chief of staff John Kelly’s latest condemnations of the former president. The retired four-star general, Ackman replied, is simply “one person stating a series of things.”

That might be more persuasive if it were true — but it’s not. Retired Gen. Mark Milley, for example, whom Trump tapped to serve as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently declared on the record that he now believes the Republican candidate is “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country.” It was a week later when Kelly also said that Trump meets the “definition of ‘fascist’” and “prefers the dictator approach to government.”

Making matters worse, the duo has become a trio. The Washington Post reported:

Mark T. Esper, the former defense secretary under Donald Trump, suggested Wednesday that he agreed with the assessment by Trump’s former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, that the former president meets the definition of a fascist. Esper, another former Trump administration official who has since become a critic, said in a CNN interview that he was reluctant to use the same label that Kelly used in a New York Times interview published Tuesday. But Esper then noted that Kelly had looked up the definition of a fascist in the interview — and Esper urged ‘everybody’ to do the same.

“Ask yourself, does he fall into those categories?” Trump’s former handpicked Pentagon chief told a national television audience. “And it’s hard to say that he doesn’t when you kind of look at those terms. He certainly has those inclinations, and I think it’s something we should be wary about.”

This came on the heels of Esper also expressing public concern about the former president describing many Americans as “the enemy within” and even threatening to use the U.S. military against civilians on American soil.

“I think President Trump has learned the key is getting people around you who will do your bidding, who will not push back, who will implement what you want to do,” Esper said on CNN. “And I think he’s talked about that. His acolytes have talked about that. I think loyalty will be the first litmus test.

“So yes, of course, it concerns me on many levels, not least of which is the impact it could have on American citizens. It’s the impact on the institution of the military, the impact it could have on the professional ethic of our officers and NCOs and soldiers and sailors and airmen. So I’m concerned about all these things, all the impacts on multiple levels.”

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Trump escalates threats to his political ‘enemies’ and imperils democracy in the process October 17, 2024 / 19:59

These comments echoed related rhetoric from the former Defense secretary, who has also warned Americans that Trump is “unfit” for office, a national security threat and a “threat to democracy.”

In case this isn’t obvious, let’s go ahead and again note for the record that nothing like this has ever happened in the history of the United States.

But just as notable is the degree to which Esper has company among so many others who worked side by side with the GOP candidate and learned firsthand how he thought, led, processed information and made decisions.

These same former officials have not only warned Americans about the dangers Trump poses, they keep warning Americans about the dangers Trump poses. We’ll learn soon enough whether voters are listening.