Obama Said To Compare Trump To Hitler, Stirs Fresh Controversy

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Someone else tried to compare President Trump to Hitler, and this time, it’s his predecessor. Although the comparison was indirect and the former president did not name Trump, it appeared thinly veiled, and as soon as the president’s supporters heard about it, they seized upon it. At any rate, it seems very uncharacteristic of Obama, or at least of the side he has shown to the public over the years.

Obama indirectly compares Trump to Hitler

The former U.S. president made the comment while at a speaking engagement at the Economic Club of Chicago, and Crain’s columnist Greg Hinz paraphrased it, according to Fox News. Others also tweeted their own paraphrases of Obama’s commentary.

He was talking about how important it is to vote and protect democracy in the U.S. and warned about how fast things can fall apart. He said that’s what happened in the 1930s in Germany when Hitler rose to power amid the Weimer Republic’s democracy.

At this point in time, trying to compare Trump to Hitler—who killed millions of people—seems extreme. It’s hard to imagine him having the sort of verbal influence over people that Hitler had during his rise to power. He tends to have the opposite effect on people—the same trait that people watch reality shows just to see on display.

A nation divided

Obama is certainly right in the fact that things can change fast, and it is important to pay close attention to keep history from repeating itself. The best we can hope to do is avert the rise of someone who will be directly responsible for millions of deaths. The good news here is that Trump seems to have about as many enemies as he does supporters.

However, it seems like nearly everyone has something to say about Obama’s seeming attempt to compare Trump to Hitler. The fact is that people will see whatever they want, and Trump’s supporters were quick to draw comparisons between Obama and Stalin. The former president has long been accused of being a Socialist, but because he treated others with respect, many didn’t pay much heed to the accusations.

Further, such a remark only serves to further divide a country that may have been slowly coming apart at the seams for quite some time, depending on who you ask.

Obama wasn’t the first to almost compare Trump to Hitler

If nothing else, Obama’s comment may demonstrate how even someone who has tended to weigh every word carefully can suggest something inflammatory without necessarily thinking about what they’re saying. In fact, even an indirect attempt to compare Trump to Hitler naturally reminds us of comments made by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, although he said Trump is actually worse than Hitler. The key difference is that Kim makes saber-rattling into an art form and trades barbs with Trump regularly.

You can bet we’ll have to hear a lot more about Obama’s remarks that seem to compare Trump to Hitler. This is one remark that won’t die easily, especially since it comes from someone who is as respected as Obama is.

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