After three months off, Obama broke his silence in his adopted hometown of Chicago, speaking to high school and college students about the need for greater civic engagement.
The 55-year-old Democrat, who ended his two terms at the White House in January -- handing power over to Donald Trump -- said he was "incredibly optimistic" about the future, and that problems facing America could be solved.
"On the back end now of my presidency, now that it's completed, I'm spending a lot of time thinking about what is the most important thing I can do for my next job?" Obama said in his opening remarks at the University of Chicago, where he once was a lecturer at the law school.
Until today, Donald Trump's Democratic predecessor had not given a public speech or an interview since leaving the White House on January 20.
He has tweeted a few times and issued a few statements through a spokesman, notably to defend his signature domestic policy achievement, health care reform -- which Trump's Republicans are now hoping to dismantle.
But for now, he has abstained from any substantive commentary on how Trump is doing, in keeping with presidential protocol which dictates that past residents of the White House do not step on the toes of the current occupant.
That silence comes in the face of accusations by Trump on everything from Syria, with the Republican all but accusing Obama of bearing responsibility for chemical weapons attacks by the Damascus regime, to gang violence in America.
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