Former President Barack Obama pushed back against the brand of politics ushered in by his successor as he opened his $850 million presidential center Thursday with a celebrity-packed ceremony attended by all the living former presidents. undefined undefined As the President’s Club convened, the current one was absent. President Trump wasn’t named by the speakers, but both the 44th president and former first lady Michelle Obama delivered subtle rebukes against a man who has sought to erase parts of their legacy.
“People aren’t looking for perpetual anger and divisions,” Obama said to an audience of thousands that came from as far away as Africa to attend. “They are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect.”
Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Octavio Jones
People react, as supporters attend a watch party at the Midway Plaisance Park for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Joshua Lott
Attendees listen as former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks, as seen from a screen, during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The former president also delivered a clarion call to protect democracy on the cusp of the nation’s 250th birthday, imploring Americans to fight the temptation of “cynicism and division.”
He warned Americans not to fail in exercising their right to vote, otherwise the nation opens “the door to the most ruthless or the most careless or the most fearful among us who see some groups and some people as more equal than others.”
Former U.S. President Joe Biden speaks from the stage during a dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Obama praised the decency and integrity of the 2008 and 2012 Republican nominees he competed against for the presidency, John McCain and Mitt Romney . “We believe in the peaceful transfer of power after the people have spoken in fair and free elections,” he said.
The former first lady sought to contrast what she described as her husband’s strengths with weaknesses Democrats see in Trump. “You were unflappable at every turn. Always focused. Always calm. Always looking at the long view,” Michelle Obama said.
Former U.S. presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and former first ladies Jill Biden, Michelle Obama and Laura Bush, and former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pose for a photo ahead of the dedication ceremony at the Obama Presidential Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool via REUTERS
She also appeared to needle Trump by pointing out her husband’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, a recognition Trump has actively campaigned to receive.
Trump wasn’t invited, although Obama officials have said he is welcome to visit. Trump has repeatedly mocked the former president and the center, even posting an image comparing the Brutalist architecture of its 225-foot, granite tower to a garbage can.
In 2013, when the previous presidential center was dedicated to George W. Bush , Obama attended the opening in Texas, as sitting presidents have often done.
It was the latest moment of tension between Obama and Trump, who is planning a presidential library in Miami featuring a glass tower emblazoned with his name. Obama’s message of hope and change was followed by a decade dominated by Trump that has seen significant portions of the 44th president’s legacy erased by Trump, the 45th and 47th.
Roughly a dozen performers and musical groups appeared at the ceremony, including Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Stevie Wonder and U2’s Bono and The Edge. Some in attendance included the actor Tom Hanks, director Steven Spielberg and media magnates Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey .
Former U.S. President Joe Biden and former U.S. first lady Jill Biden gesture as they attend a dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel waves during a dedication ceremony for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The center, dedicated to the Democratic Party’s most popular former president, opens to the public Friday. It sets at least three modern-era records for a former White House occupant: time taken for a postpresidential center to be completed, project cost and the admission to get inside.
The 19.3-acre campus is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to a largely hardscrabble section of this city where Obama began his career as a community organizer, constitutional law professor and state senator. undefined undefined It is the biggest economic-development opportunity on the South Side since the late 1800s and early 1900s, when John D. Rockefeller helped found the University of Chicago, a World’s Fair was held and the Chicago White Sox arrived.
A supporter holds a balloon, as people gather on the day of a watch party at the Midway Plaisance Park for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Joshua Lott TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A 2014 study commissioned by the University of Chicago and conducted by the economic-research firm Anderson Economic Group estimated the center will attract 800,000 visitors each year. The report estimated an annual economic impact to Chicago of $220 million.
The center includes a new public library, an NBA-regulation-size basketball court, a playground, gardens, an auditorium for performances or lectures, a recording studio, a teaching kitchen, classroom spaces and a winter sledding hill.
Write to John McCormick at [email protected]
