President Obama on Sunday left open the door to speaking out against Donald Trump during his presidency if he feels America’s values are being violated.
“As an American citizen who cares deeply about our country, if there are issues that have less to do with the specifics of some legislative proposal or battle, but go to core questions about our values and our ideals, and if I think that it’s necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, then I’ll examine it when it comes,” Obama told reporters in Peru during his final official foreign trip.
The White House has said that Obama appreciated how former President George W. Bush refrained from criticizing him early on in his administration, and Obama made the distinction about not chiming in on policy. Trump has vowed to roll back or dismantle many of the hallmarks of Obama’s presidency, including his signature healthcare law and executive actions protecting some illegal immigrants.
“I want to be respectful of the office and give the president-elect an opportunity to put forward his platform and his arguments without somebody popping off in every instance,” Obama said Sunday.
