Former President Barack Obama may be trying to relax after running the country for eight years, but took a few moments out to address what is happening under the current administration.
In a statement released on Monday (Jan. 30), former President Obama expressed solidarity with those protesting his successor’s ban on travelers and refugees entering the United States from certain Muslim-majority countries.
The statement, issued under the name of Obama’s spokesman Kevin Lewis, was the first time that Obama has weighed in on Donald Trump’s presidency. And though it did not mention Trump by name or directly criticize the executive order that he signed on Friday, the implication was one of disapproval.
President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country. In his final official speech as President, he spoke about the important role of citizens and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy — not just during an election but every day.
Citizens exercising their Constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.
With regard to comparisons to President Obama’s foreign policy decisions, as we’ve heard before, the President fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith.
In regards to the widespread news regarding laws being passed to curb protests across the country, Lewis states that protesters have a right to “have their voices heard.”
“Citizens exercising their Constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake,” Lewis said.
Lewis also responded to those comparing then President Obama’s foreign policy to that of Trump’s executive order by highlighting Obama’s past comments against a Muslim ban directly disagreed with the actions taken by the current administration, when was initially proposed by Republicans in 2015 after the attack on Paris and was regarded as “shameful” by then President Obama. Trump’s insistence that the executive order mirrored what the Obama administration did when it stopped refugees from coming into the U.S. from Iraq for six months, overlooks the fact that Obama was vocally critical of any ban on refugees that prioritized one religion over another, as Trump’s does.
“With regard to comparisons to President Obama’s foreign policy decisions, as we’ve heard before, the president fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion,” Lewis said.
Obama intentionally avoided openly criticizing Trump during the transition, pledging to give Trump space after he assumed office. But nine days into the presidency and a slew of executive orders, that have brought protestors to the streets and the nation’s airports, have compelled Obama to speak out.
In response to the former president’s statement in support of protesters, White House press secretary Sean Spicer again defended the executive order, apologizing for the “inconvenience”.
“It is a shame that people were inconvenienced obviously,” Spicer said in the press conference. “But at the end of the day, we are talking about a couple of hours.”
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