by Dolapo Adelana
Former US President Barack Obama is set to attend his first public event after leaving office on January 20, 2017.
Obama will return to public life on Monday after spending weeks vacating in French Polynesia.
The 44th President of The United States will begin his resurgence into the conciousness of many Americans with a Monday town hall-style meeting with students at the University of Chicago, which will be followed by an awards ceremony in Boston.
[Read Also:] Trump goes to court to block Obama era legacies
According to his aides, Obama who has faced some criticism from President Donald Trump since the latter assumed office will refrain from speaking ill about the current president.
His aides are of the notion that anything he says in public will be interpreted as a criticism of Trump, hence the need to avoid engaging in conversations about the Trump administration.
Obama has also concluded that his voice is not essential in the daily back-and-forth.
The former president has decided to focus his energies on issues that will keep him from the limelight of cable-television and discussions at the Capitol Hill: civic engagement, the health of the planet, the need for diplomacy, civil rights and the development of a new generation of young American leaders.
[#InCaseYouMissedIt:] The Thread: “Mr Art of the Deal” | Americans mock Trump over his inability to repeal Obamacare
“Trump becomes a distraction from what he wants to do,” said Kevin Lewis, a spokesman for Mr. Obama.
Obama’s decision follows suit with that od his predecessor, George W. Bush who resisted pressure from his aides and supporters to criticise his successor during the months after Obama took office.
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
Leave a reply