John F. Kelly, the former Marine general who was Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, has given the closing argument on the 2024 presidential election: A vote for Trump is a vote for a man who rejects constitutional democracy for dictatorship. The last straw, said Kelly, was Trump’s recent raising of the prospect that he would use the U.S. military to suppress people on the left who, should Trump win election in November, protest his presidency. “It’s a very dangerous thing to have the wrong person elected to high office,” Kelly told The New York Times.
Trump, Kelly said, fits the definition of a fascist.
“It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” he said.
Kelly stepped forward to speak the truth. Millions of us already know about Trump and have no intention of voting for him. Kelly’s words are important right now because of who he is, and who he is still impresses millions of Americans who recognize people with integrity, respect the military and yearn for wise leadership. I speak here of white males across the land who, for whatever reason, voted for Trump but still have enough sense to see who he is. I hope Kelly is singing the nightingale’s song.
“The Nightingale’s Song” was the title of my friend Bob Timberg’s excellent book about the Naval Academy and five of its graduates who went to Vietnam in the 1960s. Bob explained the title thus: “There’s a tale that a nightingale raised in isolation from other nightingales can never sing, but once exposed to the song of another nightingale it begins singing like it’s been doing it all its life as if it has a template in its brain that gets triggered by the song of another nightingale.”
In Timberg’s book it was Ronald Reagan who sang the song – a patriotic melody about the Vietnam War, expressing gratitude and respect for its combat veterans – that drew the Academy graduates and ‘Nam vets to Reagan and his administration.
I hope Kelly is singing a song that touches deeply those men out there who latched onto Trump but now need a way out of supporting him. No veteran, no son of a veteran, brother of a veteran, sister of a veteran, parent of a veteran, friend or acquaintance of a veteran can in good conscience vote for Trump. That would be a betrayal of everything the country stands for and it would threaten our democracy. You guys know this in your bones. It’s time to let go. It’s time to end this dangerous dance with dictatorship. Thank you, General Kelly, for your service to the nation.
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Dan Rodricks 
Will this make a difference in the scheme of things? People’s minds are already made up. No it won’t.
Trump is taking way too much oxygen as it is. He is suffocating the media and the readers. Enough!
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You underestimate the number of people who voted for Trump and have now grown sick of him. Not the hardcore MAGA but more reasonable voters, white male mostly, who can be shamed by a Marine general. I think the polling has failed to pick up Trump Fatigue because his previous supporters won’t admit to it.
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I think, if you are lucky, the polling might not pick up Harris voters because Trump has straight up threatened them and political violence is the norm: I am in Frederick country, and waited in a long line to vote today, and wow it was a very vocally Trump-y line, and our Harris/Walz signs keep going missing. But I think Mr. Winslow has it exactly right. Kelly said much of this before now, as have Mattis and Esper and may others. It hasn’t dimmed his glow for his supporters, and they seem to believe everyone is as bad as he is. That’s the lasting damage that may not be fixable: I think a majority — certainly a plurality — of the country now sees corruption as the norm and compassion as a failing.
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I’m glad you wrote this. I’ve been wrangling with a white guy who isn’t budging. In many ways, he’s a kind person. He’s a psychiatrist friend of my bf/partner. He helped me a lot with medication suggestions when my mother was suffering from psychotic episodes because of Alzheimer’s.
But this guy, born and raised in Russia but came here as a young adult, is STILL choosing Trump. His response to Kelly’s revelations? “People use labels when they don’t have good reasons.” Clearly, he doesn’t want to see. He’s decided to look away and follow the MAGA playbook.
He hates Putin! I can only guess it’s too painful for him to believe that what’s going on in this country is fascism.
I need to stop banging my head against the wall.
Thanks for your writing. I really love it.
Pamela
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That’s as sad as it is frustrating. What reason does he give for supporting Trump?
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The tired MAGA responses—CRT, transgenderism gone wild (in his imagination), Harris covering up Biden’s “dementia,” etc. He even brought up the old Dr. Seuss thing. He’s totally stuck. I wasn’t kind this morning in my reply to him. I said he’s clearly regurgitating the MAGA playbook of cruelty.
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It is hard to understand how a veteran could vote for Trump. It’s hard to understand how an immigrant could vote for Trump. It’s hard to understand how a woman could vote for Trump. It’s hard to believe that a scientist or physician could vote for Trump. It’s hard to understand how a disabled person could vote for Trump. It’s hard to understand how a government worker could vote for Trump. It’s hard to believe that a moral or religious person or Evangelical could vote for Trump. It’s hard to believe that a farmer could vote for Trump. It’s hard to believe that an environmentalist could vote for Trump. It’s hard to believe that a Black person could vote for Trump.
And yet, he’ll get millions of votes from these demographics. 🥲
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I was with you until “environmentalist.”
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Kudos to him for doing the right thing in the end, and some of this he has said before actually. But let’s not go overboard either: Kelly beclowned himself in the Trump administration, as the original Homeland Security secretary (remember the Muslim ban throwing airports into chaos seven days into the admin?) and the guy who put Nielsen there as his replacesment (remeber family separations?) to become Chief of Staff (remember him helping Trump attack a congresswoman speaking out for a Gold Star mother?) It means something serious that Trump’s former close staff think he’s unfit. But they are no more fit.
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I agree. But among those who can’t appreciate all that he might have some influence. Too many are quick to say Kelly will make no difference.
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None with any integrity lasted very long working for Trump.
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