While Trump has been a fierce critic of the media throughout his short term, Obama had his own criticism of the press, saying because of the changing nature of news, people were only listening to information they already agreed with.
"I want to work with them to knock down those barriers and to get this next generation to accelerate their move towards leadership, because if that happens I think we're going to be just fine and I end up being incredibly optimistic", he said.
Students did not ask him about Trump and he took no questions from reporters.
Students discussed the importance of community organizing and civic engagement.
The event was peppered with Obama's classic humor as the former president displayed his trademark wit and managed to keep the students in splits, while doling out pearls of wisdom at the same time. And the University of Chicago is a fitting place for him to make his first public appearance; the private research institution will host Obama's presidential library, the Barack Obama Presidential Center, which is slated to open in 2020 in Chicago's Jackson Park, according to NPR.
Obama said his work as a young organizer, which included meeting with Chicago public housing residents, laid the foundation for his time in office. The crowd however, which was a mix of students, their teachers or advisers and the city's media outlets, enthusiastically waited for Obama.
"I'm immensely proud that his last speech as president was here in the city of Chicago and his first major address in his post-presidency is here in the city of Chicago", Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Friday. With Trump closing in on the first 100 days of his presidency, Obama's timing could not have been better.
Venezuelan opposition to hold 'mother of all marches' against Maduro
The opposition called the action a coup, as it brought all the governing power under Maduro's ruling United Socialist Party. In recent protests, security forces have fired rubber bullets and tear gas, as well as using a water cannon.
Speaking at the University of Chicago, in his adopted hometown, the former U.S. president, looking relaxed after an extended vacation time to write his memoirs, opened to the event by quipping: "So, uh, what's been going on while I've been gone?" that made the audience laugh.
He said he'd spent his time in the political wilderness thinking about "my next job" and about increasing civic engagement.
Since leaving office in January, former President Barack Obama has taken a much-needed vacation around the world. He was invited to participate by Duncan, the program's founder.
The Obamas are also busy working on their memoirs after landing a deal with Penguin Random House that could yield them tens of millions of dollars.
The Obamas are now renting a house in Washington, where their youngest daughter, Sasha, is finishing high school.
Obama's next public outing will come on May 7, when he will visit Boston to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
He will also deliver a speech at a Protestant church gathering at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, with Chancellor Angela Merkel at his side.
Comments