Obama Just Released His First Statement Since Leaving the White House to Support National Protests

Membership Ticker

Limited-time 2X match:
Ends Friday

Fierce, investigative journalism doesn’t happen by accident—it happens because readers like you make it possible. Every dollar you give before midnight Friday to support our nonprofit newsroom will be matched dollar-for-dollar. We can’t do our work without you. Don’t miss this chance!

2X match ends Friday: Fierce, investigative journalism doesn’t happen by accident—it happens because readers like you make it possible. Every dollar you give before midnight Friday to support our nonprofit newsroom will be matched dollar-for-dollar. We can’t do our work without you. Don’t miss this chance!

Reuters/ZUMA

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

In his first official statement since departing the White House, former President Barack Obama on Monday expressed support for the nationwide protests sparked by President Donald Trump’s executive order that temporarily bars refugees and immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

Frm Pres @BarackObama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country. pic.twitter.com/X5Fk3xRDEX

— Kevin Lewis (@KLewis44) January 30, 2017

While he did not specifically mention the president’s actions, Obama’s statement rejected the Trump administration’s recent defense of the executive order as being similar to Obama’s immigration policy in 2011.

“The president fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion,” Obama’s spokesman Kevin Lewis wrote.