Republican Donald Trump during his presidency between 2017 and 2021, but also in the following years he was interested in the advantages of dictatorship and absolute control over the army, writes The Atlantic, citing sources.
"I want generals like Hitler had. People who were completely loyal to him, who were following orders," Trump said in a private conversation at the White House, sources told the publication.
The case is also remarkable, writes The Atlantic, which happened in the spring of 2020, when 20-year-old Vanessa Guillen of Mexican origin was beaten to death by a colleague from the military unit.
Trump then invited Guillen's family to the White House and promised to pay for the funeral. A few months later, he was informed that the funeral cost $60,000. According to the publication's sources, Trump was angry: "It's not worth $60,000 to bury a fucking Mexican woman!" Don't pay it!".
"Can you believe this? Fucking people, they're trying to rob me,'' he said later that day.
Trump's staff called the information an absolute and outrageous lie and emphasized that the politician never said such words.
The Atlantic recalls Trump's phrase that sparked outrage among veterans. In August, he compared the Medal of Honor, which is awarded only to service members for heroism and selflessness in combat, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US award for significant civilian contributions to society.
The Republican then expressed his belief that the civilian award is better because the military medal is given to those who are "in very bad shape because they've been hit so many times by bullets, or they're dead" .
In 1997, the publication also recalls, Trump told radio host Howard Stern that avoiding sexually transmitted diseases was "my personal Vietnam".