Without Mentioning Trump, Obama Cites Hitler In Talk On Nationalism
At a recent talk, former President Barack Obama warned U.S. citizens not to “grow complacent,” citing the rise of Adolph Hitler in Germany’s culturally progressive Weimar Republic, Crain’s reported.
The remarks came during a Q&A session at a meeting of the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday.
“We have to tend to this garden of democracy or else things could fall apart quickly,” Obama said. “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.”
Without mentioning Donald Trump by name, Obama also alluded to the rise of “nativism” in the U.S.
Obama’s stark statements comparing the U.S. with pre-Nazi Germany were mixed in with remarks on the economy and the threat of ebola.
“Sixty million people died,” Obama said of World War II. “So, you’ve got to pay attention. And vote.”
Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO