Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaign this Wednesday in two key states for the elections, she in Pennsylvania and he in Georgia, in the midst of a controversy over Trump’s alleged praise of Adolf Hitler years ago.
A former chief of staff to Trump when he was president, former Marine General John Kelly, confirmed to the New York Times on Tuesday that the magnate fits the definition of a fascist and has praised Hitler.
«Of course the former president is in the extreme right area, of course he is an authoritarian, he admires people who are dictators, he has said it himself. So he certainly fits the general definition of fascist, for sure,” he declared.
Kelly also claimed that Trump “commented more than once, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things too.'”
A day after these statements were published, Harris’ campaign team held a telephone press conference with two retired military personnel. They backed Kelly’s assessment and warned that a second Trump presidency would have far fewer democratic safeguards than his first term.
“General Kelly is warning us that Trump seeks power to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants,” said retired Colonel Kevin Carroll.
“Now Trump is in the race to arrogate to himself unprecedented, uncontrolled powers,” as he himself said, “extreme,” he added.
“We are concerned that he wants to use the army to repress the opposition in the country and monitor the US border (with Mexico), things that the army is not supposed to do,” said retired Brigadier General Steve Anderson.
Trump’s comments about Nazism are not new.
He even stated that migrants “poison the blood of the country”, which earned him comparisons with Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
He also used the terms “internal enemy” and “vermin”, which recall the way in which these two fascists spoke about their opponents.
Trump’s own running mate, JD Vance, allied himself with the 78-year-old millionaire after privately wondering in 2016 if he was not the “American Hitler.”
– Technical draw –
About 23.5 million Americans have already voted by mail or in person for the presidential election, which appears to be very close.
The campaign continues with 13 days left until the elections, with a technical tie in the polls between Trump and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, 60 years old.
Impossible to determine the level of precision of these surveys. In the past they have underestimated support for Trump and the Democrats.
The former president insists on repressing irregular migrants if he wins the elections and promises to activate a 1798 foreign enemies law to expel them.
If they return they will receive a sentence of 10 years in prison and the death penalty if they have killed an American or a police officer, he repeats at his rallies.
Harris questions whether Trump is mentally and physically fit for the office of president and is trying to appeal to moderate Republican voters.
Trump, who campaigns this Wednesday in Georgia, believes, on the contrary, that she does not have the “intelligence or strength” to lead the United States.
© Agence France-Presse