Lindsey Graham Urges Voters to 'Reject' Generals' Critical Views of Trump

Amid next month's election, Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, urged voters on Sunday to "reject" former generals' critical views of former President Donald Trump during an interview appearance on ABC News' This Week.

Earlier this week, Trump's longest-serving chief of staff, retired U.S. Marine General John Kelly, told The New York Times that based on his experience with the former president, Trump met the definition of a "fascist." He also said that Trump told him that "[Adolf] Hitler did some good things."

In response, Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, called Kelly's accounts of his experience in Trump's administration "debunked stories" and said Kelly had "beclowned" himself.

Kelly's remarks come after it was reported by The Independent and other media outlets that retired U.S. Army General Mark Milley, who was nominated by Trump to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2018, called Trump "fascist to the core" after it was included in legendary journalist Bob Woodward's new book, War.

Cheung previously told Newsweek in response to Milley's comments that the retired general is a "woke train-wreck" and that "it's no surprise he pals around with a washed-up fiction writer like Bob Woodward to peddle lies and misinformation."

ABC News' Jonathan Karl mentioned Kelly and Milley as well as retired U.S. Marine four-star General Jim Mattis, Trump's former defense secretary, during his interview with Graham, a staunch Trump ally, on Sunday.

Karl quoted Mattis as saying of Trump, "'His use of the presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice.'"

He then said how Mattis is somebody Graham once called "a role model for the concept of duty, honor and country.'"

Karl asked, "Can you really dismiss—," however, Graham cut him off and said of Mattis, "Now, he's weighed in politically. He has every right to his opinion but to General Mattis: I think you're rewriting history here because for some reason, I don't know what that reason is, you're not going to be able to change what [former] President Trump did."

Newsweek reached out to Graham's office, Cheung and Mattis via email for comment late Sunday morning.

Graham then went into Trump's presidential record on foreign policy, saying, "Russia didn't invade Ukraine." He also praised his record on immigration and border security, saying, "The border was the most secure in the last 40 years." Talking about the economy under Trump, the senator added that "inflation was down."

He continued: "He was a strong leader on the things that matter the most, whether you like him or not, that's up to you. He's not a fascist, he's not Hitler."

The senator added that these retired generals are "trying to scare Americans that this man can't fix the problems we need fixed. I reject that. I was there too. I was around him. I don't think he's a fascist. I think he will be a strong president to get this country back on track, to revive our economy, to secure our border and put out fires."

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, is seen on January 17 in Washington, D.C. Inset, former President Donald Trump is seen on October 23 in Zebulon, Georgia. Graham urged voters on Sunday to "reject"... Kent Nishimura/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images