Ex-president’s second chief of staff tried to convince him fascist dictator was ‘great guy in comparison’, John Kelly tells Jim Sciutto

Donald Trump’s second White House chief of staff tried to stop him praising Adolf Hitler in part by trying to convince the then president Benito Mussolini, the Italian fascist dictator, was “a great guy in comparison”.

  • the_frumious_bandersnatch@programming.devEnglish
    84·
    4 months ago

    At this point we’ve reached a complete and utter death of euphemism around anything regarding Trump.

    All attempts to “bring to light” any horrible thing Trump has factually committed will be met by his followers with, “Well that’s actually a good thing.” And any politician trying to ride his wake will have to go along with it.

    How soon until we start hearing “Look, we have to view Hitler with some nuance” from the Senate podium.

    • modifier@lemmy.ca
      10·
      4 months ago

      How soon until we start hearing “Look, we have to view Hitler with some nuance” from the Senate podium.

      The very fact that this is a serious question, that this even could be a serious question, is downright chilling.

      Though it will likely show up in the House first, I fear the answer to your question is “not long”.

      • Daft_ish@lemmy.world
        5·
        4 months ago

        I remember briefly questioning how tyranny takes hold of a whole country when I was younger. I didn’t think on it hard enough, really. It sucks now to have to live it.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        4 months ago

        There should be some nuance.

        We need to recognize that Hitler did at least one good thing.

        (He offed himself.)

        In a more serious vein, we need to recognize how easy it is to fall in with… that. Hitler was unspeakably evil. But he had a lot of people following him, some of whom are no more evil than anyone else.

        the only way to prevent another version of him, is to recognize there is a risk we, personally, could fall for it. And to be perfectly blunt, republicans have.

        Said another way, there is a capacity for evil in everyone; even as there is a capacity for good. Evil people don’t know that they’re evil- they can’t even consider the possibility, because they refuse to accept this.

  • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
    432·
    4 months ago

    Okay, at least include the in comparison part, guardian, this title is clickbaity crap

  • gregorum@lemm.eeEnglish
    142·
    4 months ago

    “I know you love arsenic, but have you tried cyanide?”

    – this guy

  • 520@kbin.social
    10·
    4 months ago

    I mean it’s easy to be a great guy in comparison when you lower the bar to the depths of hell.

        • gregorum@lemm.eeEnglish
          2·
          4 months ago

          All of his blood really did brighten up that piazza! I believe his lower intestine added a lot of character to a nearby frieze depicting Caesar crossing the Rubicon. I wonder if he would have appreciated the irony…

    • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      4 months ago

      Yeah this is one of those rare cases where “Mussolini was a great guy in comparison” is actually an accurate statement

  • agent_flounder@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    4 months ago

    I wonder how many people in America agree with him about Hitler. No, actually I don’t think I want to know.