Barack Obama

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama is starting to define his new role in the age of Donald Trump.

After dropping out of sight for a pair of glamorous island getaways, Obama is emerging for a series of paid and unpaid speeches, drawing sharp contrasts with Trump even as he avoids saying the new president’s name.

He’s wielding his influence overseas, offering his support for some of the international political candidates who are clamoring for his endorsement. His aides are engaging in real-time political combat with Trump, including revealing Monday that Obama personally warned his successor against tapping embattled Michael Flynn as his national security adviser.

Obama’s swift return to the spotlight has been cheered by some Democrats, who are still sifting through the wreckage of the party’s defeats in the November election. But the attention surrounding Obama has also magnified the vacuum for new Democratic leadership, a reality that aides say is not lost on the former president.

“He’s acutely aware that when the former president speaks, he consumes a lot of the oxygen,” said Eric Schultz, Obama’s senior adviser. “He wants to make sure we make room for the next generation.”

Obama is picking his spots carefully. Advisers say he is still navigating his role in international politics, but he is willing to consider requests for support from overseas candidates. Later this month, he’ll appear alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces elections later this year, for a panel on democracy.

Obama’s stop in Germany will coincide with Trump’s first visit to Europe as president, likely setting up a stark contrast between the 44th and 45th presidents on the world stage.