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Barack, Michelle Obama discuss post-White House plans

WASHINGTON — Barack and Michelle Obama officially left the White House on Friday when Donald Trump was inaugurated as the nation's 45th president.

The 44th president and the former first lady waved to crowds and wished the Trumps well as they made their final public appearance as the presidential couple.

The couple has already announced some of their first plans post-White House.

"First, we're going to take a little break," Michelle Obama said in a video released Friday by the Obama Foundation. "We're finally going to get some sleep and take some time to be with our family and just be still for a little bit."

Michelle Obama said the pair "might not be online quite as much" as in the past.

During a December interview with former aide David Axelrod, Barack Obama said he planned to do some self-reflection.

"I'm going to start thinking about the first book ... I want to write. We've got to unpack, and ... I have to be quiet for a while," he said.

Obama explained that he didn't mean that he plans to be politically quiet, but rather plans to reflect on all areas of his life.

"I don't mean politically. I mean internally. I have to still myself," he said. "You have to get back in tune with your center and process what happened before you make a bunch of good decisions."

Obama changed his Twitter handle on Friday after stepping down as commander in chief and issued his first tweet as a former president.

"Michelle and I are off on a quick vacation, then we'll get back to work," he wrote.

Barack Obama also discussed the Obama Foundation's plans to open the Obama Center, a presidential center on the south side of Chicago, where Michelle and Barack Obama met and raised their daughters. The center will be a library, a museum and a "living, working center for citizenship," according to the former president.

According to the official website, the Obama Foundation "will focus on developing the next generation of citizens and what it means to be a good citizen in the 21st century ... It will have nonprofit programs across the city, the United States and the world." The foundation aims to "build programs to inspire us all to be better citizens and to help young leaders develop their ideas."

"The work of perfecting our union is never finished, and we look forward to joining you in that effort as fellow citizens," Barack Obama said.