‘What Good Things Would You Say Hitler Did?’ CNN’s John Berman Throws Down With GOP Senator in Fiery Skirmish Over Trump’s Alleged Hitler Praise

CNN anchor John Berman got into a testy exchange with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) over former President Donald Trump’s alleged comments praising Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, as recounted by Trump’s former chief-of-staff Gen. John Kelly.

Hagerty dismissed the story several times, and during the conversation with Berman on Wednesday, he repeatedly tried to pivot over to the records of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. But Berman kept steering back to the subject at hand — that Donald Trump reportedly said “Hitler did some good things too.”

First, Hagerty tried to paint Gen. Kelly as a disgruntled employee:

Berman: The New York Times published audio recordings from reporter Michael Schmidt, a conversation with General John Kelly, Donald Trump’s longest serving chief-of-staff. And in that, on this recording, Kelly talks about Donald Trump. He says, “He commented more than once that, you know, Hitler did some good things, too,” Mr. Kelly said Trump told him. What good things would you say Hitler did?

Hagerty: Well, I wouldn’t say Hitler did any good things. And I would also say this. I worked both with General Kelly and President Trump in the last administration, and it was not a good fit. General Kelly’s been on record many times criticizing President Trump. Obviously, he doesn’t like President Trump. I would take that with a grain of salt, just as I would some of the other things that have been reported that have been debunked consistently along these lines. And I do say this as well–

Berman: Well, let’s play — Hang on, hang on, Senator. Let’s play–

Hagerty: Trying to compare President Trump to Hitler is dangerous.

Berman: Talk to [Sen. JD Vance (R-OH)]. Bring that up with JD Vance, who apparently said that in a text message, which he doesn’t deny some years ago.

Berman pushed again:

Berman: You worked for Donald Trump during the Trump administration. Do you have any idea what Trump could be praising about Adolf Hitler?

Hagerty: Well, I’m not agreeing that Trump is praising Adolf Hitler because all you have are the comments from General Kelly again who did that mix with President Trump, who did not get along with President Trump and has been consistently on the record against President Trump. I’ll say this. I did serve with President Trump as U.S. ambassador to Japan. We have more U.S. military stationed there in Japan than any place else in the world overseas. President Trump came to visit me three times. We always met with our military there, and I never saw anything but the utmost respect both President Trump’s respect for our military and their love and respect for him. That’s what I know.

Berman: John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general. He was chief of staff and Secretary of Homeland Security while you were ambassador to Japan. Did he ever lie to you about anything?

Hagerty: I never am aware of John Kelly lying to me about anything, no.

Berman: All right, so why doubt what he is now saying on the record out loud about these conversations?

Hagerty: Because it’s wholly inconsistent with my experience with President Trump. I also have reason to doubt it because there have been articles published about “losers” and the things that were supposedly said in Normandy. I called the ambassador right away. Again, these are old stories that are being drug up, of course, within two weeks of the election. But when I called the ambassador, she said absolutely not true, what was attributed to John Kelly. Twenty other staffers said that was the case as well. I think this is being brought up at a time to divert and deflect.

Hagerty then deflected to discuss Biden and Harris and the state of the American economy, even claiming: “72 percent of Americans think that this country is on the wrong track. All they have to do is look back to the time when President Trump was in office. That debunks these claims.” Berman called him on that:

Berman: Not disputing your numbers on the wrong track. I will say, depending on the economic metrics you use, you know, unemployment, GDP, things like that over time, you know, not necessarily better in the Trump administration than this.

Hagerty: Real wages are what I think most people care about. Real wages is what they care about.

Berman: You’re picking one number you were saying. You said under every metric with any demographic group, that’s demonstrably false. All I’m saying is there are some metrics, yes, some metrics, no. And when you say that the economic record debunks the claim or debunks the idea that Donald Trump praised Hitler, I’m not sure that the two things are related at all. You’ve been rumored as a possible cabinet secretary.

Hagerty: No, his record as commander-in-chief debunks that in my mind.

Hagerty then launched into more criticism of Biden and Harris over the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and once again said that Kelly was “fired” by Trump. Berman still tried to get back to his original question:

Berman: Senator, Senator, Senator, again, I don’t think that anyone is questioning the sympathy or remorse for the families of those who died in Afghanistan. That has nothing to do with the claims on the record from [General] John Kelly, who also lost a son in Afghanistan. It has nothing to do with the claims he is making on the record out loud that Donald Trump praised Hitler to him. Now, if you’re going to say you don’t believe them, then John Kelly would have to be lying. And you just told me that you don’t have any reason to think that John Kelly lied to you about anything.

Hagerty: He and I never had conversations like this, and John Kelly wouldn’t have a reason to be disgruntled with me because I didn’t fire him. President Trump did. I have every reason to doubt this, though, because it’s inconsistent with my experience with President Trump. President Trump is a patriot, he loves this country. And in no way would Hitler be an image or a likeness that he would want to follow in any way. He’s certainly not a role model. And this somehow suggests that’s the case. And I just don’t buy it. Not one bit.

Watch the video above via CNN.