John Kelly, a former four-star Marine general and former chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, gave his old boss a stunning public slam on Tuesday – just two weeks before Election Day.

Kelly, who had previously refrained from speaking so openly about his time in the White House, said in extensive interviews with The New York Times that Trump's discussion of using the military against the “enemy within” – in Trump's words Democratic enemies included – – urged him to come forward.

“And I think that the issue of using the military to persecute American citizens is one of the things that I think is a very, very bad thing – even to say it for political reasons, to get elected – I think.” “It’s a very, very bad thing to do, let alone actually do it,” Kelly said.

The former general held nothing back, arguing that Trump could fit the image of a “fascist.”

“Well, when I look at the definition of fascism: It is a far-right authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, violent suppression of opposition, and belief in a natural social hierarchy ” he told the Times .

“So, in my experience, these are things that he believes would work better in terms of running America,” he added.

Kelly went on to explain that Trump had said he wanted generals like Adolf Hitler's, a remark that Kelly found shocking and told the former president not to repeat.

While Kelly's comments are astonishing coming from a veteran who achieved such high rank in uniform, they are just the latest to come from a former senior official in the Trump administration.

Mark Milley, a retired Army general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump, told journalist Bob Woodward that Trump is “a fascist through and through.”

“He is the most dangerous person ever. I had my suspicions when I spoke to you about his mental decline etc. but now I realize he is a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person in this country,” he said.

Mark Esper, Trump's former defense secretary, said earlier this month that he feared Trump would use the military against his domestic critics and that he would likely have fewer protections in a hypothetical second term.

“I feel like he tends to use the military in those situations, whereas I think that's a bad role for the military. It should only be law enforcement that takes such action,” Esper said on CNN.

“I think President Trump has learned that the key is to have people around you who will comply with your wishes, who won't push back, who will implement what you want to do. And I think he's talked about it, his followers have talked about it, and I think loyalty will be the first litmus test,” he added.

Throughout his term in office, Trump has also praised authoritarian forces, including bragging about the intelligence services of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “tough” and praising Hungarian leader Viktor Orban.

Trump's campaign hit back at the former officials, including Kelly on Tuesday.

“John Kelly has completely disgraced himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated because he has not served his president well as chief of staff and is currently suffering from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement Explanation.

“President Trump has always honored the service and sacrifices of all of our military, while Kamala Harris has shown complete disrespect for the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including Abbey Gate 13,” he added, referring to the 13th Military personnel killed during US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Kelly's latest sensational comments come as early voting is already underway and Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are battling for a small but significant portion of undecided voters.

Harris' campaign is expected to address the latest comments.

“The people who know him best tell us that Trump is unhinged and seeking unchecked power that would endanger us all. We should all listen,” Harris campaign spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement.

However, the national debate over Trump's character has raged largely unabated since 2015, leaving Republicans skeptical that recent comments will have any impact on voters.

GOP pollster Robert Blizzard said it's “hard to believe that this will be the 'Oh, now I have to go' moment for Democrats.”

“I find it difficult to believe that there is a single voter who does not have a clear opinion about Donald Trump. You came to that conclusion yourself, and I can't imagine these people that the average voter never has.” “Once you hear about it, change your mind,” a former senior Trump administration official added.