With two weeks left in his term, President Obama is signaling that he intends to do anything but go quietly once President-elect Trump takes office, rejecting the example set by most every other president. Obama’s failure to emulate the class and deference shown him by President George W. Bush — allowing his successor to lead without interference from the previous occupant — will not work to the Democratic Party’s advantage, nor will it be good for our divided nation.

The moral impact of Obama’s refusal to recede cannot be understated as he’s leaving the nation more politically divided than when he took office, according to polling done by the Pew Research Center. Any post-presidential meddling would undermine Trump’s efforts to unify a country sorely in need of healing.