Donald Trump Slammed for 'Admiring' Adolf Hitler When Talking to Ex-Chief of Staff John Kelly

Donald Trump seemingly revealed a 'soft corner' for the infamous dictator of Germany, Adolf Hitler. Unbeknownst to many, Trump disclosed his admiration for the Austria-born German politician while engaging with his ex-chief staff, John Kelly. During an interview with CNN's Jim Sciutto, Kelly shared details of a private meeting with Trump, which was followed by the former President's meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, according to Radar Online.

Kelly recounted that Trump asserted Hitler 'accomplished some positive things' and contended that the Nazi leader 'revitalized [Germany's] economy' post-World War One. Additionally, Trump purportedly expressed admiration for the loyalty Hitler commanded from his officers. "He said: Well, but Hitler did some good things," Kelly told Sciutto. Adding further, he said, "I said: Well, what? And he said: Well, [Hitler] rebuilt the economy. But what did he do with that rebuilt economy? He turned it against his people and the world. And I said: Sir, you can never say anything good about the guy. Nothing." 

"I mean, Mussolini was a great guy in comparison," Kelly elaborated when reflecting on word history. "It’s pretty hard to believe he missed the Holocaust, though, and pretty hard to understand how he missed the 400,000 American GIs that were killed in the European theater. But I think it’s more, again, the tough guy thing," he added. Trump also purportedly expressed admiration for the Nazi leader and the 'loyalty' Hitler garnered from his followers until his suicide in April 1945. 

"He would ask about the loyalty issues and about how, when I pointed out to him the German generals as a group were not loyal to him, and tried to assassinate him a few times, and he didn’t know that. He truly believed, when he brought us generals in, that we would be loyal. That we would do anything he wanted us to do," Kelly disclosed during the interview. The former adviser also added about Trump, "He thought Putin was an OK guy and Kim was an OK guy -- that we had pushed North Korea into a corner. To him, it was like we were goading these guys. 'If we didn't have NATO, then Putin wouldn't be doing these things.'"

Trump's effusive praise for Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago following his near-certain clinching of the Republican nomination on Super Tuesday underscores a steadfast commitment to this particular worldview. "There's nobody that's better, smarter, or a better leader than Viktor Orbán. He's the boss and he's a great leader, a fantastic leader. In Europe and around the world, they respect him," said Trump. According to The New York Post, Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger shared, "Trump believed in the power of his personal charisma and diplomacy."