In a fiery exchange during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, May 6, President Donald Trump aimed former President Barack Obama’s long-anticipated Obama Presidential Center, branding the Chicago-based project “a disaster” and accusing Obama of prioritizing “woke” ideals over construction expertise.
“He’s building his library in Chicago. It’s a disaster,” Trump declared from the Oval Office, as reported by The Daily Beast. “He said something to the effect, ‘I only want DEI. I only want woke. He wants woke people to build it. Well, he got woke.”
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The Obama Presidential Center, a signature initiative of the Obama Foundation, broke ground in 2021 and is slated to open in spring 2026. Designed to include a library, museum, auditorium, and other public spaces, the 19.3-acre site on Chicago’s South Side has faced multiple delays due to legal and environmental challenges.
Originally estimated at $350 million in 2018, the project’s budget has reportedly swelled to over $800 million, drawing criticism from conservative corners. Claiming that construction had come to a halt, Trump suggested that Obama’s preference for diversity-focused hiring was to blame.
“It’s a disaster, and I don’t like that happening,” Trump said. “I don’t like that happening, because it’s – I think – it’s bad for the presidency that a thing like that should happen.” In a characteristically unfiltered moment, Trump turned to Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the meeting.
“He’s got a library that’s a disaster, and he wants to be very politically correct, and he didn’t use good, hard, tough, mean construction workers that I love, love, Marco,” he said. “I love construction workers, but he didn’t want construction workers. He wanted people who, like, never did it before, and he got a disaster on his hands, like millions of dollars, many, many, I mean really, many millions of dollars over budget.”
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Trump concluded with a tongue-in-cheek offer to assist: “I would love to help him. I know some people.” The Obama Foundation swiftly responded with a statement defending the project. “Everyone who sees the Obama Presidential Center is blown away by its beauty, scale, and the way it will be an economic engine for Chicago and a beacon of hope for the world,” it reads.
Spokesperson Emily Bittner added, “We look forward to welcoming all visitors to the 19.3-acre campus next spring, to experience a presidential center that not only honors the Obamas’ legacy but also lifts up the next generation of leaders.”
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