'Fascist Controversy' Trump: "I Never Said 'We Need Hitler'"

Donald Trump, the former U.S. president and Republican presidential candidate, drew a line under the 'fascist' attacks directed at him, saying, "Everyone knows that is not true." He also denied past remarks attributed to him about wanting "the generals Hitler had," stating, "I never said that."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 24th (local time), ahead of a rally in Arizona, Trump told Fox News in an interview, "She (Vice President Kamala Harris) called me a fascist, but everyone knows that is not true," adding, "As you know, they (Democratic supporters) call me all sorts of things until something sticks."

The day before, Vice President Harris held an emergency press conference at the residence, citing a past interview with John Kelly, who served as White House Chief of Staff during Trump's first administration, to claim, "Trump fits the definition of a fascist." Kelly, a retired four-star general and former Secretary of Homeland Security, had previously revealed in an interview with The New York Times (NYT) that Trump said he wanted "the generals Hitler had because he does not want a military loyal to the U.S. Constitution," and that "Trump repeatedly said Hitler did some good things."

In a Q&A with CNN on the same day, Trump rebutted the Hitler-related remarks that formed the basis of the fascist accusations, saying, "I never said that," and "I would never say such a thing." He called it "nonsense" and claimed, "They made up the story." On his social media, he also dismissed Kelly's statements as "fabricated stories." Regarding Kelly, he disparaged him as a "stupid, low-class, and bad general."

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