Greater than a dozen former Trump administration officers on Friday got here out in help of former chief of workers John Kelly, who went on the document this week to say the previous president suits the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator and has no idea of the Structure.
In a brand new letter, shared completely with POLITICO, the previous Trump administration officers — a few of the officers have been outspoken Trump critics for years — said, “that is who Donald Trump is.”
“The revelations Basic Kelly introduced ahead are disturbing and surprising. However as a result of we all know Trump and have labored for and alongside him, we have been sadly not stunned by what Basic Kelly needed to say,” the letter states.
“We applaud Basic Kelly for highlighting in stark particulars the hazard of a second Trump time period. Like Basic Kelly, we didn’t take the choice to come back ahead calmly. We’re all lifelong Republicans who served our nation. Nonetheless, there are moments in historical past the place it turns into essential to place nation over get together. That is a type of moments” the letter states. “Everybody ought to heed Basic Kelly’s warning.”
The letter was signed by Trump administration officers, together with Kevin Carroll, former senior counselor to Kelly; former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews; former assistant secretary of homeland safety Elizabeth Neumann; former White Home communications director Anthony Scaramucci; former chief of workers on the Dept. of Homeland Safety Miles Taylor; former White Home press secretary Stephanie Grisham; former press secretary to the vice chairman Alyssa Farah Griffin; and former nationwide safety adviser to vice chairman Pence, Olivia Troye.
Taylor was the writer of “Nameless,” a e-book warning about Trump, and Troye and former press secretary Stephanie Grisham spoke on the Democratic Nationwide Conference.
The letter comes as Harris is leaning into her closing argument that Trump is a risk to democracy and poses a definite risk if he’s reelected. It’s a message she and her marketing campaign believes resonates with independents and Trump-weary Republicans who’re involved concerning the former president returning to the Oval Workplace.
On Wednesday night time, Harris’ marketing campaign carried out a spotlight group with undecided voters in a battleground state, the place the members discovered Kelly to be credible and reliable and his criticism of Trump, in response to a marketing campaign official, granted anonymity to debate the findings, made a few of them assume twice concerning the former president.
In keeping with a marketing campaign official, the Harris marketing campaign realized that persuadable and undecided voters in latest battleground state polling, their goal group, stated that the previous president’s pursuit of “unchecked energy with nobody to cease him” is one in every of their prime issues. Additionally they discovered that one of many regarding messages for them on this level is that “those that labored closest with Trump whereas he was President have left and stated he shouldn’t be President once more due to the danger he poses to nationwide safety.”
A Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday confirmed that whereas Trump has the lead on the problems of immigration and the economic system, extra voters considered Trump than Harris as “too excessive,” 49 to 39 p.c, or a hazard to the nation, 48 to 43 p.c.
The discharge of the letter additionally comes as a number of extra Republicans defect from their get together and publicly help Harris, together with former Michigan Rep. Fred Upton and the GOP mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin, a metropolis within the largest Republican county within the state.
In a Fact Social submit on Thursday, Trump slammed Kelly, a former 4 star common, as a “lowlife” and “whole degenerate” who “made up a narrative out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred.”
“This man had two qualities, which don’t work effectively collectively. He was powerful and dumb. The issue is his toughness morphed into weak point, as a result of he turned JELLO with time! The story concerning the Troopers was A LIE, as are quite a few different tales he informed,” Trump posted.
Trump’s reference to the story about troopers is probably going about Kelly’s 2023 assertion to CNN when he claimed the former president disparaged troopers in non-public.
Trump marketing campaign communications director Steven Cheung stated in an announcement, “That is nothing greater than disgruntled, former low-level workers who had remarkably undistinguished careers in authorities and are actually attempting to outlive as By no means Trump pundits preventing over cable information contracts. The very fact stays they didn’t serve their nation and President effectively, and should dwell with that dishonor for the remainder of their depressing lives.”
“President Trump has at all times honored the service and sacrifice of all of our navy women and men, whereas Kamala Harris has utterly disrespected the households of those that gave the last word sacrifice, together with the Abbey Gate 13,” Cheung stated.
The brand new revelations by Kelly — and knowledge displaying issues a couple of Trump second time period might be efficient with impartial voters — are propelling a blitz of ultimate week adverts and occasions by the Harris marketing campaign.
Throughout a city corridor with CNN on Wednesday night time, Harris stated the on the document interviews by Kelly have been like a “911 name to the American folks: Perceive what might occur if Donald Trump have been again within the White Home.”
“I believe one has to consider why would somebody who served with him, who just isn’t political, a four-star marine common, why is he telling the American folks now?” Harris stated. “This time, we should take very severely these people who knew him greatest and who have been profession persons are not going to be there to carry him again.”
Her feedback to CNN have been became a brand new digital advert by her marketing campaign airing in battleground states.
Final week, the Harris marketing campaign produced a TV advert in battleground states making the argument that Trump would “ignore all checks that rein in a president’s energy” and on Wednesday launched an advert in English and Spanish highlighting Trump’s response throughout a Latino city corridor that Jan. 6 was a “day of affection.”
On Monday, Harris went on tour by means of the Rust Belt states with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to argue that Trump is a risk to the Structure, and on Wednesday the Harris marketing campaign held a press name with Republican former nationwide safety officers.
The adverts and occasions highlighting help from Republican officers and criticisms about Trump’s health for workplace from individuals who labored for him will culminate with a speech laying out the dangers of a second Trump time period on Tuesday on the Ellipse on the Nationwide Mall, the place Trump held a rally earlier than the violent riots on Capitol Hill.
