Trump supporters called Obama’s comments “despicable.” (Images courtesy of Reuters)
Fans of President Donald Trump are crying foul after ex-POTUS Barack Obama appeared to draw parallels between Trump’s turbulent presidency and the rise of Nazi Germany.
Obama’s controversial comments came during an event hosted by the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday, Dec. 6, where he warned the audience of nearly 1,800 conference-goers against “growing complacent,” according to Chicago Business. Yet, Trump’s name never left his lips.
“We have to tend to this garden of democracy, or else things could fall apart quickly,” the former president said, noting that’s exactly what happened in Germany in the 1930s when Adolf Hitler rose to dominate, despite the democracy of the Weimar Republic. “Sixty million people died. So you’ve got to pay attention.”
Obama, who’s recently worked with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee to combat gerrymandering, also spoke of the “nativist mistrust and unease” that has swept the U.S. and abroad. Some critics might’ve interpreted his comment as a jab at Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Much like the current president, Obama also acknowledged his issues with the media, but noted that “what I understood was the principle that the free press was vital.”
Trump backers did not take too kindly to the ex-president’s comments, however, many calling his alleged comparison of America to 1930s Nazi Germany “despicable” and “un-American.”
When a ex-president makes a comparison, #Obama, of #Hitler to #Trump, the #MSM says nothing. despicable behavior unchecked.
— Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) December 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/Lrihendry/status/938830625615896576
.@jessebwatters on Obama comparing #Trump's election to the Third Reich: "I thought @BarackObama was better than this. To compare [@realdonaldtrump] to Adolf Hitler…horrible, horrible. Just demeaning, beneath him." https://t.co/NOS5cf6Du4 pic.twitter.com/udtoGpbwRD
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/mike_Zollo/status/938970568451411969
Obama’s remarks just happened to come a day before Trump publicly declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel, to the displeasure of many. Opponents worry that the distinction may further fuel political tensions between the U.S. and the Middle East.
