US President Barack Obama holds his final press conference at the White House in Washington, US, January 18, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

After eight years in office, the president suggested he's eager to step away from the political spotlight for a time. "I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much," he said Wednesday. But he also served notice that as an ex-president, he would speak out if Trump violates America's "core values."For all his campaign warnings about the dire implications of a Trump presidency and the threat the 45th president poses to his own policy achievements, Obama insisted he was at ease, even optimistic, upon stepping aside.

"At my core, I think we're going to be OK," he said.