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Rubio fires back at Trump critics accusing former president of being ‘fascist’

Rubio fires back at Trump critics accusing former president of being ‘fascist’

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took aim at former Trump administration officials who have accused former President Trump of being fascist and admiring Adolf Hitler. “It’s very dubious to see these accusations coming at the very last minute, right before an election,” Rubio said of the accusations against Trump during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” The Republican senator’s comments came after former Trump chief of staff John Kelly told the New York Times in an interview last week that his former boss met the definition of “fascist,” setting off a wave off new attacks on Trump from Democrats less than two weeks before the election. TRUMP BLASTS HARRIS OVER HITLER COMPARISON, RIPS HIS FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF: ‘LOWLIFE’ Rubio argued that many former Trump administration officials are attacking the former president as a way of opening up job offers. “These are people that worked in the administration or around the administration, and then they figured out pretty quickly, if we want jobs after we leave this administration, we have to become anti-Trumpers,” Rubio claimed. Kelly’s comments were endorsed by 13 former Trump administration officials who signed an open letter warning of the dangers of a second Trump term, according to a report from Politico,  “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,” the letter said. “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.” HARRIS LIKENS TRUMP TO HITLER IN SCATHING REMARKS, SAYS HE WANTS SAME MILITARY LOYALTY AS GERMAN DICTATOR Kelly claimed to have witnessed Trump offering praise for German dictator Adolf Hitler on multiple occasions, accusations Trump has denied. GET THE FOX NEWS APP BY CLICKING HERE “He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’” Kelly said of Trump. “Never said it,” Trump said in response to reporters last week during a stop in Nevada. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, once targeted by Trump, gives former president ‘full endorsement’

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, once targeted by Trump, gives former president ‘full endorsement’

Rep. Thomas Massie – who former President Donald Trump once said should be ousted from the Republican Party – announced on Friday that he is endorsing Trump for president. In a statement issued on Friday, the Kentucky Republican endorsed Trump, and urged conservatives, libertarians, and independents to join him in casting their vote for the GOP presidential candidate. “Donald Trump will put Americans first by securing our liberties at home and preventing needless wars abroad. He will make America Healthy Again by empowering small farmers and taking on special interests that have corrupted our healthcare system. He has even committed to freeing Ross Ulbricht who was wrongfully sentenced,” Massie declared in the statement. “For these and many other reasons, he has my full endorsement,” Massie added. GOP LAWMAKER RIPS TRUMP FOR WADING INTO HOUSE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: ‘UNHELPFUL AND UNWARRANTED’ In a written comment to Fox News Digital on Sunday, Massie explained that he determined the 2024 presidential contest is “too important” for him to not “weigh-in.” “I had a great conversation with [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] on Friday and then with Donald Trump on Saturday,” Massie noted. “I want to be part of the alignment that puts the focus back on regular people instead of corporations and bureaucracy,” he continued. “One of the other pressing issues of our day is that our meddling overseas has put us on the brink of war, and I believe Trump is the only one who can pull us back from that. For these reasons and those mentioned in my endorsement, I came to the conclusion that this presidential election is too important for me not to weigh-in on.” Trump publicly castigated Massie in March 2020, calling for the congressman to be tossed from the Republican Party.  “Looks like a third rate Grandstander named @RepThomasMassie, a Congressman from, unfortunately, a truly GREAT State, Kentucky, wants to vote against the new Save Our Workers Bill in Congress. He just wants the publicity. He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous,” Trump wrote, finishing the sentence in another post by adding, “& costly.” “Workers & small businesses need money now in order to survive. Virus wasn’t their fault. It is ‘HELL’ dealing with the Dems, had to give up some stupid things in order to get the ‘big picture’ done. 90% GREAT! WIN BACK HOUSE, but throw Massie out of Republican Party!” Trump tweeted. TRUMP SCORCHES REP. MASSIE OVER THREAT TO DELAY CORONAVIRUS BILL, WANTS HIM BOOTED FROM GOP Trump fired off the attack on Massie just before the lawmaker demanded a recorded vote on a massive COVID-19 pandemic-related spending measure. Massie’s demand for a recorded vote was ultimately rejected, but the lawmaker had earned the ire not only of Trump, but also of many lawmakers who returned to D.C. during the episode. Despite Trump’s attack, Massie went on to win a resounding victory in the June 2020 Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. Trump later changed course, issuing a full-throated endorsement of Massie shortly before the lawmaker’s 2022 primary victory. JOHN KERRY CALLS REP. MASSIE AN ‘A–HOLE’ FOR CORONAVIRUS PACKAGE OBJECTIONS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last year, Massie endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president before the governor announced his White House bid.  DeSantis ultimately dropped out and endorsed Trump in January 2024 after Trump won the Iowa caucuses. In June, Massie told Spectrum News that Trump was “endorsing non-conservatives in Republican primaries right now.” 

Ex-Vatican ambassador, Pope Francis critic calls Harris ‘infernal monster’

Ex-Vatican ambassador, Pope Francis critic calls Harris ‘infernal monster’

A former Vatican leader who was excommunicated earlier this year has urged Catholics to back former President Trump, arguing that Vice President Harris will build the “most ferocious dictatorship” if elected. Former Roman Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who previously served as the Vatican’s ambassador to the U.S., wrote in an open letter Tuesday to American Catholics that Trump is “the only possible choice” as “voting for Kamala Harris is morally inadmissible and constitutes a very grave sin.” “In this election you must choose between two radically opposed ways of conceiving the government of your Nation: you are called to choose between democracy and dictatorship, between freedom and slavery,” Vigano wrote. Vigano wrote that while Trump has “serious problems in his positions” on abortion and assisted procreation, the former president aims to protect the “fundamental freedoms of citizens.” RFK JR URGES CATHOLICS TO VOTE FOR TRUMP IN NEW AD “In Donald Trump’s America, every Catholic can practice their Faith and educate their children in it without interference from the State,” the former archbishop wrote. Vigano called Harris “an infernal monster who obeys Satan,” arguing that in her America, Catholics and Protestants “are considered fundamentalists to be marginalized and eliminated, and their children are considered the property of the State.” “Trump’s America can become great and prosperous again,” he wrote. “Harris’ America is destined for invasion and for moral, social, and economic destruction: the most ferocious dictatorship.” Under the Biden-Harris administration, Vigano described American cities as having become “dumps filled with derelicts and criminals, drug dealers and addicts, prostitutes and robbers,” while schools have turned into “dens of indoctrination and corruption” starting in kindergarten. HARRIS’ CATHOLIC DINNER SNUB IS JUST THE LATEST IN CAREER FULL OF SWIPES AT THE FAITHFUL, CRITICS CHARGE Vigano also accused Harris as being a “puppet” of former President Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and liberal megadonor George Soros. Trump, Vigano argues, is “committed to freeing America” from what he called the “tentacled grip” of the so-called “deep state.” Vigano served as the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States, also known as the Apostolic Nuncio, from 2011 to 2016. In July, Vigano was found guilty of schism and excommunicated from the Catholic Church after years of intense disagreements with Pope Francis. Schism is the act of withdrawing submission to the pope or from the communion of Catholics who are subject to him. Catholics historically voted for Democrats until the 1960s and early 1970s, when crime and cultural issues came to the fore alongside economic concerns. Today, Catholic voters are evenly split between the two parties, and whichever side captures the majority is usually the side that wins the White House. Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.