Trump Denies Saying Hitler 'Did A Lot Of Good Things'

Former President Donald Trump's camp denied a recent claim that he praised notorious Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler for the "good things" he has done.

In a new book titled “Frankly, We Did Win this Election” by Wall Street Journal’s Michael Bender, the former president allegedly praised Hitler in a conversation with his then-chief of staff John Kelly during a 2018 official visit to Europe.

“Well, Hitler did a lot of good things,” Trump said according to the book, a copy of which was obtained by The Guardian.

On Wednesday, Trump’s spokeswoman Liz Harrington dismissed the book’s account as “fake news” and called Kelly “incompetent.”

“This is totally false,” Harrington said. “President Trump never said this. It is made up fake news, probably by a general who was incompetent and was fired.”

According to the book, Kelly attempted to correct Trump’s views at the time but the former president was “undeterred.” He also touted the German economic recovery under the dictator in the 1930s.

Kelly allegedly "pushed back" and told Trump, “You cannot ever say anything supportive of Adolf Hitler. You just can’t.”

Hitler led the infamous Nazi Party, which brutally murdered an estimated six million Jews. During his regime, Jews imprisoned in death camps, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, were subjected to horrific experiments under the guise of medical research, according to History.

Trump had previously come under fire for canceling a scheduled visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018. At the time, the former president claimed the rain made it impossible for the helicopter or the Secret Service to drive him to the cemetery.

However, a later report by The Atlantic said Trump canceled the trip in fear that the rain would dishevel his hair. The report also said the former president did not believe it was important to honor fallen American soldiers, whom he called “losers.”

“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers,” he reportedly told staff members.

In 1990, Vanity Fair reported that Trump kept a book containing Hitler’s speeches in a cabinet near his bed. When asked whether he had the book, the former president replied: "Actually, it was my friend Marty Davis from Paramount who gave me a copy of Mein Kampf, and he's a Jew.”

"If I had these speeches, and I am not saying that I do, I would never read them,” he added.

Spanish dictator Francisco Franco won a bloody 1936-39 civil war with strong backing from German counterpart Adolf Hitler Photo: AFP / -