Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago with star-studded ceremony and veiled rebukes of Trump-era politics
Barack and Michelle Obama opened the $850 million presidential centre on Chicago's South Side with speeches championing hope and community while implicitly criticising the political climate shaped by Donald Trump.
A community-focused campus
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama officially opened the Obama Presidential Center on Thursday in Chicago's Jackson Park neighbourhood. The 19.3-acre campus, which cost $850 million raised entirely through private donations, breaks from the traditional presidential library model: Obama's archives are stored digitally, and the site instead functions as a museum, civic gathering place and community hub. It features a 69-metre tower, a public library, gardens, a playground, an NBA-sized basketball court, a recording studio and a recreation of the Oval Office as it looked during his administration.
For me, this centre could not be any place else. It's an expression of thanks, an acknowledgement that so much of what I hold most dear I owe to the people of this city and the people of these surrounding neighbourhoods.
The centre was designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. Major donors listed at the site include Jeff Bezos, Connie Ballmer, Reid Hoffman, Sean and Alexandra Parker, Marc and Lynn Benioff, Mellody Hobson and the Lucas Family Foundation, represented by George Lucas.
Speeches that walked a political line
Throughout the ceremony, the Obamas never mentioned Donald Trump by name, yet their remarks repeatedly drew contrasts with the political atmosphere of his tenure. Barack Obama warned against cynicism and division, tying them to the spread of misinformation and the isolating effects of AI-driven algorithms.
For us to give up, for us to give in now, after all this country has been through, to cynicism and division, would be a betrayal of our founding ideas, a betrayal of our faith.
He also pointed to ordinary citizens in Minneapolis who faced down immigration raids earlier this year as an example of the solidarity he believes most Americans desire.
Michelle Obama delivered an emotional tribute to her husband, emphasising his resilience amid years of often racially charged attacks.
Not once did you melt from the heat. … You were unflappable at every turn. Always focused. Always calm. You were doing the people's work.
She also issued a pointed warning about questions of belonging.
No one has a right to sit in judgment of who is American enough.
A-list turnout and musical performances
The opening ceremony drew former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, all seated together, along with a wide array of Democratic officials: Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Rahm Emanuel and others. Celebrity guests included Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Tyler Perry, Dave Chappelle, Conan O'Brien, Quinta Brunson, David Letterman and Stephen Colbert, some of whom wore tan suits in a nod to Obama's 2014 press conference.
Musical performances filled the three-hour programme. The Roots opened, followed by Jennifer Hudson's rendition of the national anthem. Later sets featured John Legend, Common, Christina Aguilera, Eddie Vedder, U2's Bono and the Edge. Bruce Springsteen closed the musical portion with 'Land of Hope and Dreams', dedicating it to the Obama family.
President Obama and Michelle, you have exemplified that ideal with lives that have served us all with heart and commitment and love and compassion.
Trump absence and the unspoken contrast
The current president, Donald Trump, was not invited. His absence was noted repeatedly by attendees and in the remarks that framed the centre as a 'respite' from an era when, as Michelle Obama put it, 'fact and fiction run together'. Trump had earlier mocked the project on social media, and the event's celebrity turnout implicitly set itself against the cultural figures who have aligned with his administration. Organisers emphasised the centre's role as a 'living celebration of community', a phrase Obama used to explain why the site is not 'a lifeless mausoleum' but a space where visitors are urged to put away their phones, have a picnic or join a clothing drive.
