Obama breaks silence on Donald Trump's Muslim ban

Former US president, Barack Obama has broken his silence for the first time since Donald Trump's inauguration - offering his encouragement to people protesting against Donald Trump.

A statement released by his spokesman Kevin Lewis reads

"President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country. In his final official speech as president, he spoke about the important role of citizen and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy -- not just during an election but every day.
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"

Obama promised to give President Trump "room to govern." But he also said he would speak out if the president violated core U.S. values and ideas.