Barack Obama was expected to speak out about President Donald Trump, but no one thought it would happen so soon, Politico reports.
Obama, through a spokesperson, released a statement following protests of Trump's immigration executive order.
"President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country," the statement read.
"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."
Obama is watching developments at the White House and is not counting out the possibility of challenging Trump more forcefully in the months ahead, according to the website.
But Politico noted Obama and his aides do not want to empower Trump even more by speaking up.
The website said there are concerns among Democrats about how Obama insisted on a low-drama transfer of power.
"I wouldn't be opposed if he spoke out," Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said. "I just don't know what effect it would be."
"In hindsight, I believe it was wrong for Barack Obama to normalize Donald Trump," Lieu added.
Other Democratic officials say they do not want Obama to become the face of the anti-Trump movement. Still, Obama is said to be weighing his options on when to become more directly involved in going up against Trump.
"He'll know the right time," said one person involved. "He will have the best sense of when he needs to do it directly."
The New York Times said the timing of Obama's statement was worth noting.
It came just 10 days after Obama left office pledging to give Trump time to succeed in the presidency, according to the newspaper.
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