Europe EditionTrump Criticizes Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Citing Construction Concerns
- During a May 6, 2025 meeting at the White House, President Trump expressed strong disapproval of the construction progress and management of the Obama Presidential Center located in Chicago's Jackson Park.
- Trump attributed delays and cost overruns to hiring 'woke people' and alleged that former President Obama insisted on diversity-focused hiring practices.
- The Obama Foundation and Chicago labor leaders rejected Trump's claims, affirming ongoing construction, attributing delays to lawsuits and subcontractor disputes, with work continuing aggressively.
- Originally planned for completion in 2021 with an estimated cost of $350 million, the center's timeline moved to 2026 and costs surged beyond $800 million, with the foundation describing the criticism as 'wildly inaccurate and offensive'.
- The Obama Presidential Center remains a privately funded 19.3-acre campus expected to open to visitors in 2026, intended to honor the Obamas' legacy and generate significant economic impact for Chicago.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Trump Trolls Obama: Offers to 'Fix' Library 'Disaster'
President Trump mocked the Obama Presidential Center’s progress during a press appearance, offering to help fix what he described as a “disaster” plagued by cost overruns, delays, and misguided DEI priorities. Key Facts: Donald Trump offered to help with the Obama Presidential Center’s construction, criticizing its delays and ballooning costs. The project began with a $350 million estimate and reached $830 million by 2021, with no current updat…
Trump offers to help Obama with presidential library's 'disaster'
President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered to help out with the development of the Obama Presidential Center, which has been plagued by huge cost overruns and delays, with the project’s embrace of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies drawing significant attention recently.Trump, who reshaped city skylines with towering skyscrapers throughout his business career, linked DEI to the problems at the massive Chicago project, which has seen c…
Chicago labor union spars over Trump’s claims about Obama Presidential Center
Chicago labor leaders and the Obama Foundation are pushing back after President Donald Trump criticized the Obama Presidential Center during an unrelated appearance at the White House.
President Trump calls Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center “a disaster,” blames “woke” construction
President Trump claimed the center is "millions of dollars, like many, many — I mean, really, millions of dollars over budget," and said the problems were because President Obama "wanted to be very politically correct and he didn't use good, hard, tough, mean construction workers that I love."
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