Oct 24, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Harris campaign uses John Kelly's words against Trump in new ad drive

Rebecca Falconer

White House chief of staff John Kelly listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a briefing with senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House October 5, 2017 in Washington, D.C. — Then-White House chief of staff John Kelly listens to then-President Trump in Washington, D.C., in 2017. Photo: Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images

A Harris ad campaign is using audio of former White House chief of staff John Kelly calling former President Trump a "fascist" and claiming the Republican presidential nominee said "Hitler did some good things."

Why it matters: The 30- and 60-second ads that were first obtained by the New York Times are part of a wider push by Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign to seek to portray Trump as a grave threat to the U.S. if re-elected next month.

The Democratic presidential candidate has stepped up her attacks on Trump this week and said she believes Trump is a fascist.

The big picture: Both Harris campaign ads open with the words "An unprecedented warning... from Trump's former chief of staff, a four-star Marine general" before cutting to excerpts from Kelly's interview with NYT reporter Michael Schmidt.

The other side: "I can't even believe it. But she did call me a fascist," Trump said during an interview with Fox News' Bill Melugin on Thursday. "And everyone knows that's not true. They call me everything until something sticks."

Trump said he "fired" Kelly, his longest-serving White House chief of staff.
"He was a bad guy and he ended up being a weak guy, because all bullies end up being weak," Trump added. "He made a statement that I'm like Hitler. It just couldn't be further from the truth. It's just the opposite, actually."

Go deeper: Trump calls John Kelly a "lowlife" after Hitler praise revelations

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Harris campaign uses John Kelly's words against Trump in new ad drive

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