President Donald Trump took time out from talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday to deride the Obama Center in Chicago over its problems.
The project was first proposed in 2017 after former President Barack Obama left the White House. From the outset, the project was stalled by resident opposition and other concerns. Once scheduled to open in 2021, the project now has an opening date of 2026.
“I mean look, President Obama — and if he wanted help, I’d give him help … because I build on time and on budget — he’s building his presidential library in Chicago. It’s a disaster,” Trump said, according to a video posted to X.
Trump then summarized Obama’s effort to ensure diversity in the contracts for building the project, seemingly referencing a lawsuit filed by a black contractor on the project.
“And 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 people, and they have massive cost overruns. The job is stopped. I don’t know, it’s a disaster,” he said.
“I think it’s bad for the presidency that a thing like that should happen.”
Obama, Trump said, “wanted to be very politically correct, and he didn’t use good, hard, tough, mean construction workers that I love.”
“He wanted people that, like, never did it before, and he’s got a disaster on his hands.”
President Trump is trolling Obama now: “He’s building his Library in Chicago. It’s a disaster. He said he wants woke people to build it. Well, he got woke people and they have massive cost overruns. The job is stopped.”
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) May 6, 2025
Trump said the center was “millions of dollars, like many, many — I mean, really, many millions of dollars over budget.”
An Obama Foundation representative said Trump appeared to be focused on “a relatively common dispute between two subcontractors over work that has already been completed,” according to CBS.
“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,” the foundation said in a statement. “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.”
Trump is right about the Obama Presidential Center.
Originally estimated at $350M, today it’s over $850M.
The site, environmental, public trust, and financial issues have caused headaches, lawsuits, and delays.
Like the Obama presidency, the OPC is a complete disaster. pic.twitter.com/c1Yx8YPshi
— Chicago Contrarian (@ChicagoContrar1) May 7, 2025
Earlier this year, Chicago-based subcontractor II in One filed a $40 million lawsuit, claiming that racial discriminatory practices have harmed the company, according to WFLD.
The suit was filed against Thornton Tomasetti, the lead firm for the $830 million project.
“In a shocking and disheartening turn of events, the African American owner of a local construction company finds himself and his company on the brink of forced closure because of racial discrimination by the structural engineer,” the lawsuit said.
Did Obama’s presidency do great damage to the country?
“II in One and its joint venture partners … was subjected to baseless criticisms and defamatory and discriminatory accusations by the Obama Foundation’s structural engineer, Thornton Tomasetti.”
The suit claims Thornton Tomasetti altered standards from those of the American Concrete Institute, resulting in “excessively rigorous and unnecessary inspection” and major cost overruns.
Thornton Tomasetti has said the subcontractor was “questionably qualified.”
In a memo, Thornton Tomasetti said it and another firm “bent over backwards to assist what everyone knows was a questionably qualified subcontractor team in areas where more qualified subcontractor would not have required it.”
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