WASHINGTON // Whether it is writing a book, working with ethnic minority youths or helping the Democratic Party to rise from the ashes, Barack Obama sees life after his eight years in the White House as that of an active “citizen”.
The outgoing president used his final press conference to warn his successor that he will not be afraid to speak out if he believes America’s core values are under threat. However, he will guard against becoming “the old guy at the bar, you know, who’s – who’s just hanging around reliving old glories”.
And though he has no wish to join in the “day-to-day scrum” of political life he said he would not hesitate to weigh in on “foundational issues about our democracy” – a subtle hint that Donald Trump may face some well-placed pushback over the coming four years from his predecessor.
If so, this marks a break from the usual political convention of taking a step back from politics after leaving the White House.
Although Mr Obama said he planned to take time to write and reflect on his time in office, he also listed the issues which he said would represent a deviation from normal politics and a danger to core values. Attacks on the freedom of the press, voter suppression and efforts to deport children would not be tolerated.
“They are our kids’ friends and their classmates, and are now entering into community colleges or in some cases serving in our military,” he said. “The notion that we would just arbitrarily or because of politics punish those kids, when they didn’t do anything wrong themselves, I think would be something that would merit me speaking out.”
His words are a reminder of a divisive election, dominated by Mr Trump’s bombastic rhetoric, and fears that he plans to undermine protected rights. He has promised to step up deportations and build a wall with Mexico, and proposed setting up a register of Muslims. At the same time, disarray among Democrats – who had assumed Hillary Clinton would win comfortably – has left the opposition without a leader.
Mr Obama’s message to his successor suggests he understands he may need to fill that role.
“I want to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to amplify and lift up a next generation of voices not just in politics, but in civic life,” Mr Obama said in an exit interview with CNN. “And I have the connections and, I think, credibility to be able to do that in some unique some ways.”
Although Mr Obama took time to discuss personal questions about his time in power during his final press conference, each of his talking points seemed directed at the incoming president.
He criticised Mr Trump’s plan to relocate the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, reiterating that the two-state solution was the only prospect for bringing peace to a volatile region.
“What we’ve seen in the past is when sudden unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive,” he said.
And he had encouragement for journalists who have already had to fend off efforts by the incoming administration to move briefings out of the White House.
“You’re not supposed to be sycophants, you’re supposed to be sceptics,” he said. “You’re not supposed to be complimentary, but you’re supposed to cast a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power and make sure that we are accountable to the people who sent us here.”
Eight tumultuous years at the helm of American power have come and gone, but for president Barack Obama, this is finally the end.
Thursday was his last full day at the White House and he said he would spend the time packing. The only events on his public diary were his daily presidential briefing and his final weekly lunch with vice president Joe Biden.
Although the big decisions and grand pronouncements are behind him, Mr Obama is still in charge until president-elect Donald Trump takes the oath at noon on Friday. And in what was perhaps his last act as president, Mr Obama planned to grant one final round of clemency.
After Mr Trump takes the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol, Mr Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, will leave for a holiday in Palm Springs, California.
“I have to be quiet for a while. I don’t mean politically, I mean internally. I have to still myself,” said Mr Obama.
Former presidents rarely remain in the nation’s capital after their time living and working in the city’s oldest public building, but the Obamas will be staying in Washington while Sasha finishes high school, living in a rented house in the upmarket Kalorama district.
Mr Obama has expressed interest in working with young minorities from poor neighbourhoods, where school dropouts, unemployment and incarceration rates are higher than elsewhere. A rite of passage – and a lucrative one – for ex-presidents is writing. Mr Obama has already published two books and could earn more than millions from writing his memoirs, turning for research to the diaries he has kept since his student days.
* Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse