The rift between former President Donald Trump and his ex-chief of Staff, John Kelly, has deepened. Trump has lashed out at Kelly, using derogatory terms like “lowlife” to question his former military staff member’s competence and integrity.
The clash stems from a 2018 trip to France. Trump allegedly made belittling remarks about US service members, labelling deceased ones as “suckers” and showing reluctance to visit a soldiers’ cemetery because it was “filled with losers.” Additionally, claims surfaced that Trump had described marines who perished at the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I as “suckers.” In a conversation with CNN’s Jake Tapper, John Kelly confirmed these claims.
In response, Trump wasted no time in expressing his discontent. Using his Truth Social platform, he launched a scathing assault on Kelly. Trump derided him as the “least intelligent among my military personnel” and critiqued his performance in various roles. He claimed to have dismissed Kelly like one would discard a “dog” and accused him of lacking compassion and respect.
Defending his reputation, Trump fervently denied making the aforementioned derogatory remarks. He suggested that Kelly’s confirmations were dubious, pointing out Kelly’s previous defences of Trump.
In a concluding remark, Trump hinted that Kelly and certain others would be excluded from any potential roles in a future Trump administration.
