On Wednesday, Republicans and right-wing commentators began reacting to a shocking report from The Atlantic, revealing that while he was president, Donald Trump had remarked that he wanted “the kind of generals that Hitler had,” with many essentially responding: What’s the big deal?

During an episode of Fox News, host Brian Kilmeade addressed this information – corroborated by John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general and Trump’s ex-chief of staff – in an incredibly foolish manner:

“I can totally envision him saying, ‘You know what? It would be fantastic to have German generals who actually follow our commands,’ maybe not fully understanding the risky history of German generals linked to the Nazis or something along those lines.”

What are you talking about? Every general serving under Adolf Hitler was a Nazi, you fool. This isn’t something you can just shrug off and say, “Oh, Trump was just venting and trying to get a point across.”

How can anyone support Trump’s seemingly Nazi-leaning comments?

It seems Kilmeade would have a vastly different reaction if we discovered that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris had once claimed she needed “the kind of Marxist guerrillas Che Guevara had.”

But since this is Trump, perhaps showing some admiration for Nazis is considered acceptable. Kelly, in discussions with The New York Times and The Atlantic, also mentioned that Trump often belittled military veterans and even suggested that Hitler “had some good qualities.”

‘Look in the mirror and accept your dishonor’

It’s significant that Kilmeade did not challenge the validity of Trump’s remarks. This makes sense because the source is credible. John Kelly is a respected patriot with nothing to gain from disclosing this information. If anything, he risks facing serious consequences if the former president regains power.

In contrast, Trump is a convicted liar whom no rational person should trust.

Former Rep. Liz Cheney – a genuine conservative – shared on social media Wednesday: “If your reaction to Gen John Kelly, a gold star father and Trump’s White House chief of staff, confirming that Trump praised Hitler and referred to military personnel as ‘suckers and losers’ is to defend Trump, you need to look in the mirror and acknowledge that your dishonor will endure eternally.”

Indeed.

GOP governor claims Trump’s extremism is ‘baked into voter preferences’

Not to be outdone in sycophancy, New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu appeared on CNN and attempted to downplay Trump’s admiration for Nazi-era generals.

“I have great respect for Gen. Kelly, and I recognize he has a long-standing relationship with the president. As we get closer to the election, the focus shifts to results, so salacious claims are bound to emerge. I’m not undermining the general’s dialogue with the former president,” Sununu remarked.

Then, the governor completely dismissed the general’s account, trivializing it by stating: “We’ve heard many extreme declarations from Trump throughout the years. This type of thing has just become part of the narrative now. Unfortunately, with a figure like him, it’s ingrained in voter expectations at this stage.”

How on Earth do the phrases “Hitler did some good things” and “I wish I had generals as good as Hitler’s” become trivialized? Is Sununu’s perspective really, “So what if he likes Hitler? You’d rather vote for a liberal?”

Dismissal of admiration for Hitler’s generals is unacceptable – always

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about individuals “sanewashing” Trump’s incoherent outbursts to make them sound rational. But when we hear figures like Sununu and Kilmeade trying to downplay Trump’s reported Nazi sympathies, it crosses a different line.

Kelly’s remarks, which followed retired General Mark Milley’s assertion in a book that Trump is “fascist to the core,” were dismissed as “the Left-wing media’s latest oppo dump,” suggesting that they should not be taken seriously.

He contended that “people care about the quality of their lives.”

Well, I’d counter that if we choose to elect someone with such extreme authoritarian views, it could negatively impact the quality of lives for many. Moreover, veterans like Kelly and Milley are hardly leftist critics; this isn’t just a smear campaign, but statements from two respected American leaders.

There is a candidate who hasn’t suggested Hitler did any good things

I find it perplexing how many people stoop to defend someone like Trump. However, such justifications hold little weight when a person promotes ideas that are completely unacceptable.

As Cheney noted, those like Kilmeade, Sununu, and Shapiro, who choose to stand by their man, will carry the shame of it forever.

I remain aligned with the widely accepted view that all Nazis were bad, fascism is detrimental, and veterans warrant our respect and admiration.

And there’s no way I will vote for someone who feels differently.