In his new book The Return of Great Powers, which comes out Tuesday, reporter Jim Sciutto interviews several of Trump’s former advisers. All of them stressed that Trump regularly lavished praise on authoritarian leaders around the world, calling Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán “fantastic,” Chinese President Xi Jinping “brilliant,” and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un an “OK guy.”
Horrifyingly, Trump also said, “Well, but Hitler did some good things,” according to John Kelly, who served as White House chief of staff from 2017 to 2019.
“I said, ‘Well, what?’ And he said, ‘Well, [Hitler] rebuilt the economy.’ But what did he do with that rebuilt economy? He turned it against his own people and against the world. And I said, ‘Sir, you can never say anything good about the guy. Nothing,’” Kelly told Sciutto. “I mean, Mussolini was a great guy in comparison.”
Kelly said that Trump also praised Hitler for achieving complete loyalty from senior Nazi officials—and Trump expected similar fealty from the retired generals he brought on to his cabinet.
“He would ask about the loyalty issues and about how, when I pointed out to him the German generals as a group were not loyal to him, and in fact tried to assassinate him a few times, and he didn’t know that,” Kelly said. “He truly believed, when he brought us generals in, that we would be loyal—that we would do anything he wanted us to do.”
“Hitler did some good things” would end absolutely anyone else’s campaign in America. And this guy still has a chance of winning.
I think about this a lot. If Hitler offered me 10 million dollars I’d take it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him. I’m OK with admitting people I don’t like sometimes did good things, even if by accident. I think this is logically consistent because there are a lot of people I think are really good that occasionally do bad things.
Can you tell us some of the good things Hitler did?
Sure, even the most evil people don’t kick puppies ALL day. Note: I am not a Hitler supporter, just pointing out that TOTAL evil doesn’t exist:
Hitler’s early reforms in Germany helped reduce unemployment significantly. Between 1933-1936, he introduced a series of measures aimed at generating jobs and revitalizing the economy through the Four Year Plan. By the time World War II began, the rate had dropped from over 30% to around 7%.
Hitler initiated major infrastructure improvements throughout Germany, including building new roads, highways, bridges, airports, harbors, and canals. This helped modernize the country and facilitated trade and travel.
Under Hitler’s rule, Germany made significant progress in areas such as education and healthcare. There was a sharp increase in the number of school children and students enrolling in universities, as well as investments in scientific research.
Women’s rights were expanded during this period. Hitler allowed married women to continue working outside the home and gave them the right to equal pay for equal work. He also promoted women’s participation in the labor market by providing subsidies for childcare services.
Hitler’s government launched a massive rearmament program, which led to rapid advances in German military technology. These advancements played a crucial role in the early successes of the Wehrmacht during WWII.
The Nazi Party under Hitler invested heavily in improving housing conditions and construction projects for average citizens, notably through programs like the “Strength Through Joy” initiative, which provided low-cost vacations for workers.
German culture flourished during the Third Reich. Hitler understood the importance of art, music, theater, and literature in maintaining national pride and identity. He funded numerous arts projects and encouraged artists to produce works that reflected his vision for a strong, unified Germany.
I can also create lists of really bad and evil things that he did, so he’s not exactly my favorite person.