Obama says 'American values at stake' over Trump's travel ban abc.net.au

Former United States president Barack Obama has praised protesters who amassed across the country in opposition to President Donald Trump's immigration orders, breaking his silence on political issues for the first time since leaving office.

Key points:

Obama "heartened" by people's engagement in immigration ban
Obama spokesman rejects comparisons between Trump's actions and Obama's foreign policy decisions
Trump disputes that immigration order is a Muslim ban
"The president fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion," Mr Obama's spokesman Kevin Lewis said.

In his first statement on behalf of the former president, Mr Lewis said Mr Obama was "heartened" by the amount of engagement taking place in US communities.

Mr Lewis, a former White House official, pointed out that Mr Obama used his last official speech as president to talk about Americans' responsibility to be "guardians of our democracy", even in non-election years.