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In Bob Woodward’s first book on Donald Trump’s presidency, the author highlighted a meeting in which then-White House chief of staff John Kelly reportedly said of the then-president, “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here.”
And while that was certainly an unflattering comment, it was a private and unconfirmed exchange. That said, what Kelly has been willing to say on the record has been nearly as striking. The Washington Post published this report last week:
John F. Kelly, the longest-serving chief of staff in President Donald Trump’s White House, watches Trump dominate the GOP primary with increasing despair. “What’s going on in the country that a single person thinks this guy would still be a good president when he’s said the things he’s said and done the things he’s done?” Kelly said in a recent interview. “It’s beyond my comprehension he has the support he has.”
The retired four-star general went on to tell the Post, “I came out and told people the awful things he said about wounded soldiers, and it didn’t have half a day’s bounce. ... If anything, his numbers go up. It might even move the needle in the wrong direction. I think we’re in a dangerous zone in our country.”
The comments come on the heels of Kelly telling CNN that Trump privately disparaged U.S. troops, has “no idea what America stands for,” and has “nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.”
These were not casual asides. As regular readers know, after Trump left the White House, Kelly, the man who served as the Republican president’s chief of staff for 17 months, has struggled to contain his contempt for his former boss. Over the last few years, the retired Marine general, who also served as Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, has accused Trump of, among other things, “poisoning” people’s minds, having “serious character issues,” and not being “a real man.”
Just as notably, Kelly has also raised concerns about Trump’s abuses while in office. Last fall, for example, Kelly told The New York Times that Trump, during his presidency, told his chief of staff to use the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department to target his critics and perceived political foes.
It’s against this backdrop that Kelly seems absolutely baffled as to why anyone in their right minds would even consider supporting his former boss.
I’m mindful of the fact that Trump’s followers reflexively distrust the Republican’s opponents, but it’s worth re-emphasizing that Kelly isn’t a pundit, scholar or elected official — he’s the man Trump personally tapped to oversee his White House.
He’s also the man who appears to be practically begging people not to vote for the former president.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.