Barack Obama invokes Hitler in warning against complacency and rising nativism

Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned against staying complacent in the face of rising nativism, citing the rise of Hitler as an example of what can happen if democracy is not defended, reports Crain’s Chicago Business.

“We have to tend to this garden of democracy or else things could fall apart quickly,” Obama told the audience at the Economic Club of Chicago. “That’s what happened in Germany in the 1930s, which despite the democracy of the Weimar Republic and centuries of high-level cultural and scientific achievements, Adolph Hitler rose to dominate.”

“Sixty million people died…So, you’ve got to pay attention. And vote,” he further noted.

Though Obama didn’t specifically mention anyone other than Hitler, the comments were largely interpreted as being directed towards President Trump.

The apparent change in the United States’ approach to foreign policy has not gone unnoticed.

Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s foreign minister, said on Tuesday that following the U.S. along its current path could diminish the West’s worldwide influence, according to Deutsche Welle.

“The U.S. no longer sees the world as a global community but as a fighting arena where everyone has to seek their own advantage,” Gabriel also commented. “Germany can no longer simply react to U.S. policy but must establish its own position…even after Trump leaves the White House, relations with the U.S. will never be the same.”

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