INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Obama Already Attacking President Trump: Former President Supports Protests Because ‘American Values Are At Stake’

By Heather Tooley
Published on: 08:21 PST, Jan 30, 2017

Former President Barack Obama is already attacking President Donald Trump. Just 10 days into Trump’s presidency, his predecessor breaks his silence in opposition to how he’s running the country.

Mr. Obama was straightforward with the nation in his parting speech when he said he’d be vocal in Trump’s presidency if he feels America’s values are being threatened. Kevin Lews, a spokesman for the former president, issued a statement that Obama supports the protests going on across the nation because he feels “American values are at stake.”

According to Politico, Obama is against Trump signing an executive order that temporarily bans immigrants from seven predominately Muslim countries who want to enter the United States. President Trump declares that it’s part of a vetting process to better screen who’s coming into the U.S. to battle terrorism. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer insists it’s about being prospective rather than reactive in a terrorist attack.

Lewis spoke on Obama’s behalf regarding the protests against Trump’s immigration ban. He said that Obama “is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country.”

“Citizens exercising their Constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.

“With regard to comparisons to President Obama’s foreign policy decisions, as we’ve heard before, the president fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion.”

Former President Obama isn’t holding back despite the fact his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, refrained from criticizing his policies when he took office in 2009. It’s unprecedented for a former president to come forward and speak unfavorably of a new president so soon after a peaceful transition of power. While Obama is no longer in office, he intends to still work with Democrats and assess where they need to make changes to win back the White House and Congress in the next election.

Will Obama attack Trump and be on the side of protesters throughout his presidency? If there’s one thing that’s predicted during President Trump’s time in office, it’s the continuation of protests.

President Trump signed the executive order banning travelers from mostly Muslim nations for 90 days, which ignited a torrent of protests across the nation at major airports. Some stories emerged of immigrants being held up or being denied access into the country. President Trump has been doubling down on his stance, firing back at critics that it’s about protecting America from harm and taking preventative measures against terrorism instead of waiting for a tragedy to break out before taking critical action.

CNBC reports that Sean Spicer came out in defense of Trump’s immigration ban by stating that 109 people out of the 325,000 travelers who entered the country on the first day of the order were detained, but didn’t elaborate on how many more were inconvenienced after that.

CNN reports that a senior administration official speaking out on the condition of anonymity says the immigration ban is one of the promises Trump made to his supporters.

“It should come as no surprise to anybody that the first week went exactly as he said it would,” the official said.

The immigration ban has caused a nationwide shake-up. Now that Obama is blasting President Trump’s immigration order and supporting protests, the commander-in-chief finds himself defending a sweeping ban that many view as unfairly profiling Muslims.

[Featured Image by Jack Gruber/Getty Images]

Share this article: Obama Already Attacking President Trump: Former President Supports Protests Because ‘American Values Are At Stake’
More from Inquisitr