John Kelly, Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, has released a scathing statement confirming several offensive comments the ex-president made about military veterans.
The comments reportedly focused on wounded veterans and prisoners of war. He also claimed that Trump lied about his stance on key issues, including abortion, with the 45th president claiming he was strongly pro-life.
In a statement to CNN, Kelly – who served under Trump from 2017 to 2019 – said he personally witnessed many of the president’s closed-door attacks. He concluded his speech with “God help us,” indicating that he doesn’t particularly like the idea of Trump running for a second term.
Without naming his former boss, Kelly described Trump as: “A person who thinks that those who defend their country in uniform, are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or are tortured for years as prisoners of war are all ‘idiots.’ , because ‘there is.'” “There’s nothing in it for them.”
He added that Trump reportedly “didn’t want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because it doesn’t look good to me.”
Kelly also said he believes Trump has not been truthful “about his position on protecting unborn life,” among other sensitive issues in politics.
President Donald J. Trump greets Army Capt. Luis Avila during the Armed Forces Welcome Ceremony at Joint Base Myer in Virginia, U.S., Sept. 30, 2019
In a photo from 2017, President Donald Trump stands next to John Kelly
CNN’s bombshell statement on Monday began with Kelly saying, “What else can I add that hasn’t already been said?”
The political advisor and retired US Marine Corps general then appeared to comment on recent reports about Trump.
Just last month, The Atlantic published a comprehensive profile of outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, a frequent Trump critic.
John Kelly’s fiery testimony in full
“What else can I add that hasn’t already been said?”
“A person who thinks that those who defend their country in uniform, are shot down or seriously wounded in battle, or are tortured for years as prisoners of war are all ‘idiots’ because ‘there’s nothing in it for them’.”
“A person who didn’t want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good on me’.”
“A person who, during the 2016 election campaign, demonstrated on television open contempt for a Gold Star family – for all Gold Star families – and raved that our most precious heroes who gave their lives defending America were ‘losers.’ and would not visit them.” Graves in France.
“A person who is not honest about his position on protecting unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women.”
“A person who has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is about. A person who blithely suggests that a selfless warrior who served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – with the expectation that someone will do something.
“A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators.” A person who has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our constitution and the rule of law.
“There’s nothing left to say. ‘God, help us.’
The article claimed that Trump went on a vile tirade about a disabled war hero who sang about the appearance of the IED victim at a military event.
The article referenced Milley’s welcoming ceremony in Virginia, where Army Capt. Luis Avila had difficulty moving his wheelchair after the ground was soaked from rain.
Avila was a five-tour veteran who was blown up in an IED attack in Afghanistan and was chosen by Milley to sing “God Bless America” at the event. Avila is an amputee who has suffered a stroke, a heart attack and brain damage – and Milley chose him to sing because he believed he was a true American hero.
But after the veteran’s wheelchair almost fell over, Trump reportedly told Milley – within earshot of several witnesses – “Why do you bring people like that here?” Nobody wants to see that, the wounded man.’
Kelly’s comments all but confirmed the claims in The Atlantic article.
“A person who did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because it doesn’t look good on me,” Kelly’s statement said, referring to Trump.
In a previous story published by The Atlantic, executive editor Jeffrey Goldberg claimed that Trump turned to Kelly during a Memorial Day service in 2017 and noted his confusion over the soldiers’ sacrifices.
At that time, Kelly and Trump stood among the gravestones in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where war veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq were laid to rest.
“I do not get it. What did they get out of it? Trump reportedly said to Kelly.
That same day, Trump and Kelly laid flowers on the grave of Kelly’s son Robert Michael Kennedy, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.
Kelly’s new statement directly referenced that phrase when referring to “an individual” believed to be the former president.
“A person who thinks that those who defend their country in uniform, are shot down or seriously wounded in battle, or are tortured for years as prisoners of war are all ‘idiots’ because ‘there’s nothing in it for them,'” Kelly explained.
Trump also got into trouble for his comments about prisoners of war, including his public and on-the-record comments about Sen. John McCain.
McCain, a Republican from Arizona and a prisoner of war in Vietnam, was “not a war hero,” according to Trump in a 2015 speech.
“He was a war hero because he was captured.” “I like people who weren’t captured,” said the then-presidential candidate.
Behind closed doors, the attacks on the respected military veteran did not stop.
Goldberg’s article claimed that Trump repeatedly called McCain a “loser.”
It also said Trump would also call former President George HW Bush, a Marine veteran whose plane was shot down in World War II, a “loser.”
Trump and Kelly laid flowers on the grave of Kelly’s son Robert Michael Kennedy, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. Trump allegedly told Kelly “what they would get out of it” while discussing those who died in wars that same day
Donald Trump and Army Captain Luis Avila in 2019. Avila was seriously injured by an IED
According to Kelly, Trump said the amputee image “doesn’t look good to me.”
Kelly addressed Trump’s comments about Senator John McCain and his time as a prisoner of war in the statement to CNN
Kelly also commented on the attacks Trump made against the Gold Star Khan family before the 2016 election in her statement.
Khizr Khan spoke during the Democratic National Convention this year and paid tribute to his son Humayun, who received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart after he was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004.
Ghazala Khan – Khzir’s wife and Humayun’s mother – stood still during the speech and wore a headscarf.
“If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. Probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. Tell me,” Trump said.
“A person who, during the 2016 election campaign, demonstrated on television open contempt for a Gold Star family – for all Gold Star families – and raved that our most precious heroes who gave their lives defending America were ‘losers.’ and would not visit them.” “Graves in France,” Kelly said in his statement to CNN.
The final part refers to Trump’s visit to France in 2018, where the former president was scheduled to visit a Paris burial site for American soldiers from World War I.
Several key aides said Trump had no interest in visiting the cemetery because “Why would I go to that cemetery? It’s full of losers.”
Around the same time, an article reported that Trump called the 1,800 Marines killed at Belleau Wood “idiots” for being killed.
“These are the heroes,” Kelly said. “There’s only one group of people in our society more heroic than she is – and they’re buried over in Arlington.”
Khan and his wife Ghazala (pictured) on stage at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where the late Gold Star veteran’s father criticized Donald Trump
Pictured: Humayun Khan was killed by a car bomb in Iraq in 2004 at the age of 27
Additionally, Kelly claimed that Trump spent a significant portion of his campaign and presidency lying to his voters about his true beliefs on important issues.
“A person who is not honest about his position on protecting unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women,” Kelly continued.
He also called the former president and four-time defendant a “person who has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is about.”
“A person who blithely suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – with the expectation that someone will do something.”
“A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators.” “A person who has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our constitution and the rule of law.”
Trump has been criticized throughout his presidential term for admiring the rules of Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and even North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
“There’s nothing more to say,” Kelly concluded. ‘God, help us.’
CNN reached out to Trump’s team for comment on Monday before publishing the story with Kelly’s comments, but came back with insults against Milley.
Campaign officials reportedly insulted Milley’s character and credibility, even though he had nothing to do with the story.
President Donald Trump and John Kelly in a July 2017 photo
John Kelly visits the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in Belleau
The statements come just days after CNN spoke with former Trump White House adviser Cassidy Hutchinson, who warned: “Donald Trump is the greatest threat to our democracy in our lifetime and possibly in American history.”
Several other members of Trump’s inner circle have spoken out about the former president and warned of the dangers he allegedly poses.
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN in November 2022 that he considered Trump “unfit for office.”
“He puts himself before the country.” His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then of course I think he also has integrity and character issues,” Esper said.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr told CBS earlier this year that he thought Trump was “a consummate narcissist.”
“And he constantly engages in reckless behavior. … He will always put his own interests and the satisfaction of his own ego above everything else, including the interests of the country,” Barr continued.
“Our country cannot, you know, be a therapy session for a man as troubled as this,” Barr shared.