Trump prefers dictator approach, former chief of staff says
Kelly criticizes Trump's understanding of the rule of law
Kelly says Trump told him Hitler 'did some good things'
Trump campaign dismisses Kelly's comments as debunked stories
Adds Harris campaign reaction, paragraphs 10-11
By Tim Reid and Stephanie Kelly
WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) -Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meets the definition of a fascist and "prefers the dictator approach to government," his former White House chief of staff said in a series of interviews with the New York Times.
With less than two weeks until the Nov. 5 election, John Kelly, a longtime critic of Trump, told the Times that the former Republican president had no understanding of the U.S. Constitution or the concept of the rule of law.
Kelly said the former president would seek to rule like an authoritarian if he returned to the White House. In the interviews published on Tuesday, he quoted Trump as having told him German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler "did some good things."
A retired U.S. Marine Corps general, Kelly served as Trump's White House chief of staff between 2017 and 2019.
Since Kelly left the White House the two men's relationship has soured and both are open about their disdain for each other.
Kelly has made critical comments about Trump in previous interviews. He is not privy to internal discussions inside Trump's orbit and so cannot speak with certainty how Trump will govern.
Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, said in a statement that Kelly "has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories."
Trump's Democratic opponent, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, has seized on comments Trump made during a Fox News event in December when he said that if he won the 2024 election he would be a dictator, but only on "Day One," to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.
Harris and fellow Democrats argue that Trump is a threat to U.S. democracy, something Trump denies.
Ammar Moussa with the Harris campaign said: "The takeaway is clear: the people who know Donald Trump best, who work up close with him, are warning about the dangers of a second Trump term."
Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and Republican Steve Anderson said on a call with reporters organized by the Harris campaign that he was disappointed Kelly did not go as far as endorsing Harris after his criticism of Trump.
In the Times interview, Kelly stressed that as a former military officer he was not endorsing any candidate.
Reporting by Tim Reid and Stephanie Kelly; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Howard Goller
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