Barack Obama breaks silence on Trump presidency to condemn migration ban
Exercising right to assemble and be heard is ‘exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake’, former president says through spokesman
Barack Obama broke his silence on Donald Trump’s presidency. Photograph: Pool/Getty Images
Monday 30 January 2017 20.27 GMT Last modified on Monday 30 January 2017 20.48 GMT
Barack Obama has broken his silence on his successor’s presidency after only 10 days, issuing a short statement that attacks Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban.
“The president [Obama] fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion,” a spokesman for Obama said.
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During his final press conference as president earlier this month, Obama
listed a number of issues that might prompt him to return to the political fray.
“There’s a difference between [the] normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake,” Obama said then. “I put in that category if I saw systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion. I put in that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise.
“I put in that category institutional efforts to silence dissent or the press. And for me at least, I would put in that category efforts to round up kids who have grown up here and for all practical purposes are American kids and send them somewhere else, when they love this country.”