Trump is a Hitler-loving fascist in the truest sense of the word, says the former chief of staff

In addition to the many members of the Trump administration who have already spoken out against the former president's candidacy, John Kelly, his former chief of staff, warned in a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday that Trump was a fascist and would rule like a dictator.

Kelly, a former Marine general, recounted The New York Times that Trump did not understand the rule of law and that he repeatedly praised Hitler. An audio recording of Kelly's comments was later broadcast on CNN.

“Certainly the former president is on the far right, he is certainly an authoritarian leader, he admires people who are dictators – that's what he said. “So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist,” Kelly said The times. “He certainly prefers the dictatorial approach to government.”

And when asked if Trump felt empathy, Kelly simply replied: “No.”

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung called Kelly's reports “debunked stories” and said he had “made a clown of himself.”

Kelly's interview comes just hours later The Atlantic reported that Trump, as president, expressed his admiration for Adolf Hitler's Nazi generals. “I need the kind of generals Hitler had,” he said at the White House, according to two people who heard him. “People who were completely loyal to him, following orders.”

The outlet also quoted Trump as denigrating veterans by telling a Cabinet official that “only idiots went to Vietnam.”

Kelly's strong criticism of Trump echoes that of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. “A total fascist,” Milley said of Trump, as he told Bob Woodward for his book: War.