Barack Obama Opens His Presidential Center in Chicago, Trump Not Invited

On June 18, Barack Obama's presidential center opened in Chicago following a construction period of more than a decade, with a total cost of $850 million. At the ceremony, Obama and his wife Michelle spoke, sharply criticizing incumbent President Donald Trump without mentioning him by name. Trump was the only living US ex-president who was not invited to the event.

Barack Obama's presidential center officially opened in Chicago on June 18, 2026, after more than a decade of construction. The privately funded complex cost a total of $850 million and is located on the city's South Side in the Jackson Park area.

What the Complex Includes

The center contains a museum, a park, a basketball court, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library. Its doors opened to the general public on June 19, when the US celebrates Juneteenth, a commemorative day marking the end of slavery. It is not a traditional presidential archive, but a cultural center and museum.

Trump's Absence

The opening was attended by former US Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden along with their spouses, as well as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, all of whom served alongside Obama. Among the guests were Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, California Governor Gavin Newsom, film directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, actor Tom Hanks, and billionaire Lukas Walton.

The only absentee among living ex-presidents was Donald Trump. He was not invited to the event. The White House commented on his omission with reference to Trump's recent social media posts in which he called the Obamas' project a "junkyard."

The Obama Couple Criticized Trump Without Naming Him

The ceremony featured Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bono and The Edge from U2, John Legend, Common, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, and Jennifer Hudson.

The keynote speakers, however, were Barack and Michelle Obama. According to Politico, they used the ceremony as an opportunity to criticize the current president, although they never mentioned him by name.

Michelle Obama condemned the spread of falsehoods about her husband's origins and patriotism and sharply attacked the current administration's immigration policy: "No one should be allowed to decide who is American enough."

Barack Obama received the loudest applause on issues that the Trump administration frequently criticizes: judicial independence, free press, and loyalty "not to a president and a party, but to the people and the Constitution." Obama also recalled that the nation's founders declared: "We will have no kings or masters," a phrase that has become the main slogan of anti-Trump demonstrations. "People are looking for justice, common sense, and mutual respect," Obama said. "Somewhere deep down we want to find our way back to each other, not drift further apart."