Barack Obama urged Americans to defend democracy in a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago in which he appeared to use the rise of Adolf Hitler as a warning against the rise of bigotry and nativism under President Donald Trump.

Although he did not refer to Mr Trump by name, it brought accusations that a former president was comparing the current president with one of the most reviled leaders in history.

In the speech on Tuesday, Mr Obama told his audience that the danger was of “grow[ing] complacent”, according to Crain’s Chicago Business newspaper.

“We have to tend to this garden of democracy or else things could fall apart quickly,” he said during a question and answer session.

Despite the democracy of the Weimar Republic, he added, Adolf Hitler rose to power.