Did Trump Say He Needs “The Kind of Generals That Hitler Had” in White House Discussion?

During his presidency, Donald Trump allegedly expressed a desire for military leaders similar to those of Hitler, according to reports. The reports claim that Trump exhibited a lack of respect and understanding towards the military.

According to reports quoting sources who were present, the former president indicated in a private discussion that he needed generals who were “totally loyal” and would follow orders without question. This assertion was strongly refuted by Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, who stated that he never made such comments.

Emulating the German generals

Additionally, John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, claimed that the former president had made comparable statements, asking him why he could not emulate German generals. This interaction is recounted in the book The Divider: Trump in the White House by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. Kelly explained to the former president that German generals had attempted to assassinate Hitler multiple times but were ultimately unsuccessful. In response, the former president reportedly insisted that those generals were loyal to Hitler.

Trump praised Hitler

In a follow-up interview with The Atlantic, Kelly confirmed that Trump was indeed referring to the military leaders who served under Hitler. In another interview for Jim Sciutto’s book, Kelly recalled that Trump had praised certain elements of Hitler’s leadership, noting that Trump remarked that Hitler “did some good things.” When Kelly pressed for specifics, The former president mentioned the economic recovery under Hitler, to which Kelly replied that Hitler ultimately used that recovery against his own people and the world. Kelly insisted that former president should never speak positively about Hitler.

Trump supports military

According to reports, Pfeiffer asserted that the former president has consistently shown care for America’s military personnel, highlighting that during his presidency, he focused on keeping troops safe, securing significant pay raises for them, and implementing historic reforms for the Veterans Affairs system.

Pfeiffer also noted that as a private citizen, the former president has financially supported veterans and advocated for families of Gold Star soldiers from the Kabul incident. He emphasized that former president has been a staunch supporter of America’s military members.

Kelly recounted an incident from Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in 2017 when Trump reportedly expressed confusion about the motivations of those serving in the military, questioning what they gained from their service.

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