>>No other former president...

I wouldn't worry about it. First, it's popular to say that the result was racist, a whitelash and all the other epithets. In that case, why does a Black president think these racists will listen after he steps down? There's no self-consistency when people are attacking everything they see.

Second, there's a mood for change, so those who attack Trump for departing from business as usual in Washington, are setting themselves up for a "drain the swamp" episode. As for those who like to quote the popular vote as if it's more important than Trump's win: what happened in the Senate and Congress where the real decisions get made?

If habitual patch protectors and attackers want to carry on the same style expecting a different result... well, you know the saying about that. ;-)

The proper response now is to put a brave face on it and live to fight another day. Frankly, there's no need for Obama to signal that he might criticize if he doesn't like direction: he can simply do it. Meanwhile it's called damning with faint praise. Equally, Trump has to stop reacting on Twitter and elsewhere to every poke at him. As my grandpa used to say, "when you hear a dog bark on the street, you're not obliged to run out and bark back." Trump needs to practice being Presidential and ignore all the barking. In a different context, Tore talks about renewing civility and positivity: he's right, and it's time.