It’s one of those headlines that makes you do a double-take. Honestly, when the reports first surfaced that President Donald Trump reportedly told his staff that Adolf Hitler "did some good things," it sent a massive shockwave through the political world. But what’s the actual story here? Did he really say it? And why does it keep coming up?
We’ve got to look at where this came from. The most detailed accounts haven't come from anonymous internet trolls, but from some of the highest-ranking people who were actually in the room. We're talking about folks like John Kelly, a retired Marine general who served as Trump’s White House Chief of Staff.
The Specifics of the "Good Things" Claim
According to Kelly, this wasn't just a one-off remark. In interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic, Kelly recalled multiple instances where the topic of the 1930s German dictator came up. He says Trump would point to the German economy as a success story.
Basically, the argument Trump was supposedly making was that Hitler "rebuilt the economy." Kelly, being a career military man and a student of history, says he tried to shut it down every time. He told the Times he would remind the President that whatever economic gains Germany saw were tied directly to a genocidal regime and a push for total war.
"Sir, you can never say anything good about the guy," Kelly reportedly told him.
What exactly was Trump referring to?
Usually, when people (not just Trump) fall into the trap of finding "silver linings" in the Third Reich, they point to three things:
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- The Autobahn: The famous highway system.
- Economic Recovery: Bringing Germany out of the hyperinflation of the Weimar Republic.
- Military Loyalty: The idea of generals who followed every order without question.
But here’s the kicker: the history doesn't actually back most of this up.
Debunking the Myths of Nazi "Success"
If you've ever heard that Hitler invented the Autobahn, you've been told a myth. The first public motorway in Germany (connecting Cologne and Bonn) was actually opened in 1932 by Konrad Adenauer, well before the Nazis took power. The Nazis actually opposed the project initially, calling it a "luxury for the rich."
They only embraced it later because it was a great propaganda tool. They basically rebranded an existing project and used forced labor to expand it.
Then there’s the economy. Sure, unemployment numbers dropped in the mid-30s. But how?
- They kicked women and Jewish citizens out of the workforce (and didn't count them in the stats).
- They instituted the Reichsarbeitsdienst (State Labor Service), which was basically mandatory manual labor for young men.
- The entire "recovery" was a massive shell game funded by MEFO bills—essentially IOUs that could only be paid back if Germany conquered other countries and looted their gold.
It wasn't a sustainable economy; it was a Ponzi scheme designed for war.
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The Controversy Over "German Generals"
This is where things get even more tense. Beyond the "good things" comment, Kelly and others (like Peter Baker and Susan Glasser in their book The Divider) report that Trump expressed envy for "Hitler's generals."
The logic was simple: Trump reportedly felt frustrated that his own generals—men like Kelly, James Mattis, and Mark Milley—kept talking about "the Constitution" and "the law." He allegedly asked, "Why can’t you be like the German generals?"
The irony here is pretty thick. Kelly had to explain to him that German generals actually tried to assassinate Hitler at least three times. They weren't the monolith of blind loyalty Trump seemingly thought they were. This highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of how the U.S. military works. In the States, the military swears an oath to the Constitution, not to a specific leader.
Why This Matters Today
You might be wondering why we’re still talking about this years later. It’s because these comments speak to a specific style of leadership. When a leader says Trump Hitler did some good things, it’s rarely a debate about 1930s fiscal policy. It’s usually about a preference for unilateral power.
The Trump campaign has, of course, denied these stories. Steven Cheung, a campaign spokesperson, has called Kelly’s accounts "fabricated" and "debunked." They argue that Kelly is just a disgruntled former employee with an axe to grind.
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However, the weight of the testimony is heavy. It's not just Kelly. Mark Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly told author Bob Woodward that Trump was "fascist to the core."
The Danger of the "Great Man" Theory
History is messy. There’s a temptation to look at strongmen and think, "Well, at least they got the trains to run on time" (which, by the way, Mussolini didn't actually do either). This is what historians call the Great Man Theory, and it’s dangerous because it ignores the human cost.
When you say a dictator did "good things," you're compartmentalizing. You're trying to separate the "infrastructure" from the "Holocaust." But in a totalitarian regime, they are the same thing. The roads were built to move tanks. The factories were built to make gas. The economy was built on theft.
What You Can Do Next
Understanding this isn't just about knowing history; it's about recognizing the patterns of rhetoric in modern politics. If you want to dive deeper into the reality of this era and how it’s being discussed today, here are a few ways to stay informed:
- Read the Primary Sources: Check out the actual interviews with John Kelly in The New York Times or the reporting in The Atlantic to see the full context of these quotes.
- Check the Economics: Look into the work of historian Adam Tooze, specifically his book The Wages of Destruction. It completely dismantles the idea that the Nazi economy was a "miracle."
- Monitor the Language: Pay attention to when political figures use words like "vermin" or "poisoning the blood." These aren't accidental; they are historical echoes that provide context to the "good things" comments.
Knowing the facts makes it a lot harder for myths to take root. Honestly, the best defense against skewed history is just... actual history.