Former President Barack Obama avoided referencing Democrats’ bruising election defeats during a forum with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The pair’s conversation at the Anthem in Washington, D.C., on Monday marked the first time Obama stepped into the spotlight since Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election to President-elect Donald Trump. At one point, the former president was forced to respond to a heckler in a moment reminiscent of his time on the campaign trail.