Three months after leaving the White House, former President Barack Obama will deliver his first public remarks of his post-presidency.
Obama is slated to speak with young leaders on Monday in his adopted hometown of Chicago. The event at the University of Chicago is billed by his office as a “conversation on community organizing and civic engagement” and a part of Obama’s goal to “encourage and support the next generation of leaders.”
The former President wanted to have an event where he could speak directly to young people, a source close to Obama told CNN. Three hundred students from universities around the Chicago area were invited to attend the event.
Obama will take the stage with six students, and while they will ask questions of one another, they are not expected to take questions from the audience, the source said.
The 44th president’s public appearance will also come just days ahead of the 100-day mark for President Donald Trump. A spokesperson did not say whether Obama plans to address specific current events, but the highly anticipated gathering will provide an opportunity for him to weigh in publicly on his successor’s first months in office.
A source also said Obama does not intend to confront Trump on policy.
One issue that is clearly on the former President’s mind: The ongoing Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, his landmark health care law. He defended the Affordable Care Act on its seventh anniversary last month, saying in a statement: “Health care is not a privilege for a few, but a right for everybody.”
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