Former president Barack Obama is enjoying his retirement with a vacation to Italy and a meeting this week in Germany. Meanwhile, President Trump is in the midst of his first international trip since being elected as president with stops in Europe as well.
Earlier this month, Barack Obama headed to Milan to meet with former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The former president gave a speech on climate change at the Seeds and Chips Global Food Innovation Summit. Following the summit, he and Michelle traveled to the Tuscan countryside where he has played golf at an exclusive course.
The couple visited the Museum of Opera, one of the oldest private museums in Italy, during a visit to Siena on Monday. Then, Obama was mobbed by fans in Bologna on Tuesday as he took a leisurely stroll around the town with Secret Service agents. His wife, Michelle, was not with him. On Thursday, the former president will deliver a speech alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. The goal of the event is to promote his foundation's new global effort to inspire and support young people active in narrowing inequality, combating climate change, working in public health, empowering women and girls, and boosting young entrepreneurs.There are many in the States who await his return for further instructions regarding the direction of the Democratic party.
Why are we not hearing from him? We’ve got to hear from him,” said Sarah Kovner, a New York City Democratic activist. “Democrats are desperate.”
Earlier this month, Obama received the Profile in Courage award from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston. Previous recipients of the award include Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush.
“We’re not gone, we’re just breathing, y’all. Let us breathe,” Obama said, per People Magazine. “We’ve got to get our new lives set up.” It is unclear if President Trump and former President Obama will cross paths abroad.