Few things in politics have been as hotly anticipated as Barack Obama’s presidency, with the possible exception of Barack Obama’s post-presidency.

With Trump set to enter the Oval Office, and Obama set to leave it as one of the youngest former presidents in history, speculation abounded about what his post-presidential life would look like. Would he stay in the public eye? Remain politically active? If so, would he join the #Resistance to Trump? And without the shackles of the presidency, would we see a bolder Obama freer to courageously speak his mind?

One year on, we have a tentative answer. With the dust barely settled from his presidency, Obama has broken from tradition by becoming unusually politically engaged, both in his public pronouncements and his actions — no doubt a product of the unique historical moment in which we find ourselves. As for what that involvement entails, the verdict is a mixed bag.