One aide describes the beginning of a "delicate dance" that aims to put Obama in the Democratic fray but prevents him from remaining the face of the party.

Aides will huddle with Obama in the coming weeks to plot out what shape the former president's fall schedule will take. Advisers close to him say that while he will play an active role in helping his party rebuild, much of his work will be behind the scenes.

He is likely to take on fundraising, for example, something he has done for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee since leaving office.

In recent months, Obama has played a larger behind-the-scenes role than was publicly known.