Ex-Trump Staff Support Kelly's Stern Warnings
The correspondence from former White House officials arrives as Harris intensifies her stance, asserting that Trump poses a danger to democracy.
TroibNews 
More than a dozen former officials from the Trump administration expressed their support for former chief of staff John Kelly on Friday, following his recent remarks branding the former president a fascist who would govern like a dictator and lacks an understanding of the Constitution.
In a new letter shared exclusively with PMG, these former officials—including some who have been vocal Trump critics for years—asserted: “this is who Donald Trump is.”
“The revelations General Kelly brought forward are disturbing and shocking. But because we know Trump and have worked for and alongside him, we were sadly not surprised by what General Kelly had to say,” the letter continues.
“We applaud General Kelly for highlighting in stark details the danger of a second Trump term. Like General Kelly, we did not take the decision to come forward lightly. We are all lifelong Republicans who served our country. However, there are moments in history where it becomes necessary to put country over party. This is one of those moments,” the letter states. “Everyone should heed General Kelly’s warning.”
Among those who signed the letter are Kevin Carroll, former senior counselor to Kelly; former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews; former assistant secretary of homeland security Elizabeth Neumann; former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci; former chief of staff at the Dept. of Homeland Security Miles Taylor; former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham; former press secretary to the vice president Alyssa Farah Griffin; and former national security adviser to Vice President Pence, Olivia Troye.
Taylor is known for writing “Anonymous,” a book cautioning against Trump, while Troye and Grisham publicly criticized him during the Democratic National Convention.
This letter comes as Vice President Harris emphasizes her argument that Trump poses a threat to democracy and would be a significant danger if reelected—a message her campaign believes resonates with independents and Republicans disillusioned with the former president.
On Wednesday night, Harris’ campaign held a focus group with undecided voters in a battleground state, where participants expressed that they found Kelly credible and trustworthy, and his criticisms of Trump prompted some to reconsider their support for the former president.
Insights from this focus group revealed that undecided voters in target battleground states express significant concerns regarding Trump’s pursuit of “unchecked power with no one to stop him.” A key takeaway highlighted that “those who worked closest with Trump while he was President have left and said he should not be President again because of the risk he poses to national security.”
A Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday indicated that while Trump has favorable standings on immigration and economic issues, more voters perceive him as “too extreme” (49%) compared to Harris (39%), and view him as a danger to the country (48% to 43%).
The release of the letter also coincides with several Republicans publicly supporting Harris, including former Michigan Rep. Fred Upton and the GOP mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
In response to Kelly’s comments, Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday, labeling him a “lowlife” and “total degenerate,” claiming he “made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred.”
“This guy had two qualities, which don’t work well together. He was tough and dumb. The problem is his toughness morphed into weakness, because he became JELLO with time! The story about the Soldiers was A LIE, as are numerous other stories he told,” Trump stated, referencing Kelly's assertion about disparaging soldiers.
Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung issued a statement claiming, “John Kelly has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated because he failed to serve his President well while working as Chief of Staff and currently suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“President Trump has always honored the service and sacrifice of all of our military men and women, whereas Kamala Harris has completely disrespected the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, including the Abbey Gate 13,” Cheung added.
Kelly’s latest revelations—combined with data indicating that concerns regarding a second Trump term resonate with independent voters—are catalyzing a surge of ads and events from the Harris campaign in the final stretch leading up to the election.
During a town hall with CNN on Wednesday, Harris characterized Kelly’s statements as a “911 call to the American people: Understand what could happen if Donald Trump were back in the White House.”
“I think one has to think about why would someone who served with him, who is not political, a four-star marine general, why is he telling the American people now?” said Harris. “This time, we must take very seriously those folks who knew him best and who were career people are not going to be there to hold him back.”
Her comments were adapted into a new digital ad by her campaign airing in battleground states. Last week, the campaign also launched a TV ad emphasizing that Trump would “ignore all checks that rein in a president’s power,” alongside a new Spanish and English ad highlighting his comments about January 6, which he characterized as a “day of love.”
Harris has embarked on a tour through Rust Belt states with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to illustrate the argument that Trump is a threat to the Constitution. The Harris campaign plans to host a press call with former national security officials and culminate these efforts with a speech on Tuesday at the Ellipse on the National Mall, where Trump held a rally prior to the violent events at Capitol Hill.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
In a new letter shared exclusively with PMG, these former officials—including some who have been vocal Trump critics for years—asserted: “this is who Donald Trump is.”
“The revelations General Kelly brought forward are disturbing and shocking. But because we know Trump and have worked for and alongside him, we were sadly not surprised by what General Kelly had to say,” the letter continues.
“We applaud General Kelly for highlighting in stark details the danger of a second Trump term. Like General Kelly, we did not take the decision to come forward lightly. We are all lifelong Republicans who served our country. However, there are moments in history where it becomes necessary to put country over party. This is one of those moments,” the letter states. “Everyone should heed General Kelly’s warning.”
Among those who signed the letter are Kevin Carroll, former senior counselor to Kelly; former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews; former assistant secretary of homeland security Elizabeth Neumann; former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci; former chief of staff at the Dept. of Homeland Security Miles Taylor; former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham; former press secretary to the vice president Alyssa Farah Griffin; and former national security adviser to Vice President Pence, Olivia Troye.
Taylor is known for writing “Anonymous,” a book cautioning against Trump, while Troye and Grisham publicly criticized him during the Democratic National Convention.
This letter comes as Vice President Harris emphasizes her argument that Trump poses a threat to democracy and would be a significant danger if reelected—a message her campaign believes resonates with independents and Republicans disillusioned with the former president.
On Wednesday night, Harris’ campaign held a focus group with undecided voters in a battleground state, where participants expressed that they found Kelly credible and trustworthy, and his criticisms of Trump prompted some to reconsider their support for the former president.
Insights from this focus group revealed that undecided voters in target battleground states express significant concerns regarding Trump’s pursuit of “unchecked power with no one to stop him.” A key takeaway highlighted that “those who worked closest with Trump while he was President have left and said he should not be President again because of the risk he poses to national security.”
A Wall Street Journal poll released on Wednesday indicated that while Trump has favorable standings on immigration and economic issues, more voters perceive him as “too extreme” (49%) compared to Harris (39%), and view him as a danger to the country (48% to 43%).
The release of the letter also coincides with several Republicans publicly supporting Harris, including former Michigan Rep. Fred Upton and the GOP mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
In response to Kelly’s comments, Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday, labeling him a “lowlife” and “total degenerate,” claiming he “made up a story out of pure Trump Derangement Syndrome Hatred.”
“This guy had two qualities, which don’t work well together. He was tough and dumb. The problem is his toughness morphed into weakness, because he became JELLO with time! The story about the Soldiers was A LIE, as are numerous other stories he told,” Trump stated, referencing Kelly's assertion about disparaging soldiers.
Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung issued a statement claiming, “John Kelly has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated because he failed to serve his President well while working as Chief of Staff and currently suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“President Trump has always honored the service and sacrifice of all of our military men and women, whereas Kamala Harris has completely disrespected the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, including the Abbey Gate 13,” Cheung added.
Kelly’s latest revelations—combined with data indicating that concerns regarding a second Trump term resonate with independent voters—are catalyzing a surge of ads and events from the Harris campaign in the final stretch leading up to the election.
During a town hall with CNN on Wednesday, Harris characterized Kelly’s statements as a “911 call to the American people: Understand what could happen if Donald Trump were back in the White House.”
“I think one has to think about why would someone who served with him, who is not political, a four-star marine general, why is he telling the American people now?” said Harris. “This time, we must take very seriously those folks who knew him best and who were career people are not going to be there to hold him back.”
Her comments were adapted into a new digital ad by her campaign airing in battleground states. Last week, the campaign also launched a TV ad emphasizing that Trump would “ignore all checks that rein in a president’s power,” alongside a new Spanish and English ad highlighting his comments about January 6, which he characterized as a “day of love.”
Harris has embarked on a tour through Rust Belt states with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to illustrate the argument that Trump is a threat to the Constitution. The Harris campaign plans to host a press call with former national security officials and culminate these efforts with a speech on Tuesday at the Ellipse on the National Mall, where Trump held a rally prior to the violent events at Capitol Hill.
Alejandro Jose Martinez contributed to this report for TROIB News
