Trump Press Secretary Goes Full ‘Dear Leader’: John Kelly ‘Totally Unequipped to Handle the Genius of Our Great President’

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham’s made commentators’ jaws drop by attacking a former Donald Trump official as “totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great President.”

The comment was prompted by former Chief of Staff John Kelly saying in an interview he regretted leaving the administration and warned Trump about hiring “yes men.”

“He just wants to come back into the action like everybody else does,” Trump told a reporter, dismissing Kelly’s comments.

NEW: President Trump responds to the John Kelly comments: “John Kelly never said that, he never said anything like that. If he would have said that I would have thrown him out of the office. He just wants to come back into the action like everybody else does.” per @nikkicarvajal

— Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) October 26, 2019

Then Grisham chimed in with a thought of her own about Kelly, saying “I worked with John Kelly, and he was totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great President.”

And @PressSec responds as well: “I worked with John Kelly, and he was totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great President.”

— Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) October 26, 2019

Twitter immediately lit up with reactions to Grisham’s quote, which many noted appeared to cross a line from defending Trump to something you might hear in North Korean propaganda material.

The supreme leader approves https://t.co/btUgZvVD5U pic.twitter.com/ThYKTFMMi7

— john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) October 26, 2019

this is some Dear Leader shit https://t.co/mletGKpfMp

— marisa kabas (@MarisaKabas) October 26, 2019

Said by the press secretary to the President of the United States, or to the President of Ruritania? https://t.co/lAM7OQ4ZgW

— (((Helaine Olen))) (@helaineolen) October 26, 2019

Even Kim Jong Un thinks this is a touch too obsequious https://t.co/xOl2qcFgt4

— Pennsylvania House Democrats (@PaHouseDems) October 26, 2019

Lots of statements he wants. Always interesting to see the ones people are willing to put out. https://t.co/SmY0XO5Ay0

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) October 26, 2019

When did Kim Jong-un become POTUS? https://t.co/269rn7ErhF

— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) October 26, 2019

jfc these people are unreal https://t.co/lD131Lk5bt

— Charles Johnson’s Red Right Hand (@Green_Footballs) October 26, 2019

This is a good Nork impression. https://t.co/LRkLxSjlW0

— ???? ?????? ????? (@BecketAdams) October 26, 2019

???????????????????????? https://t.co/jnfmYdKXAE

— G O L D I E. (@goldietaylor) October 26, 2019

It’s all Pyongyang now. https://t.co/xjZfsff5M9

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) October 26, 2019

? https://t.co/f3miVXtr5Z

— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) October 26, 2019

These people are North Koreans. https://t.co/npfw1VI7XY

— “Tom Nichols” is a scary enough Halloween name (@RadioFreeTom) October 26, 2019

Gotta say this for Trump: He finally found a spokesrobot who’s perfectly in sync with the tone of his messaging https://t.co/YbnyWEqmKS

— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) October 26, 2019

Who knew that the conservative movement in the United States, so long defined by its anti-communism, would end up sounding so positively Soviet. https://t.co/U4IaXjlyd3

— *Palpatine voice* UNLIMITED DADPUNS? (@AdamSerwer) October 26, 2019