Trump Mocks Obama's Presidential Library in Tepid Remarks

Donald Trump and Barack Obama remain to throw shade At one another, this time with the president critiquing his predecessor’s incomplete and much-anticipated library and museum project.

During the Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney On May 6, Trump, who has been a prominent figure in New York’s real estate industry for years, talked about the challenges involved in construction and veered off into criticism regarding issues he claimed were associated with the project.

"President Obama — and if he needed assistance, I would lend a hand since I am an excellent builder who completes projects on schedule and within budget — but he’s constructing his library in Chicago, and it’s turning into a mess," Trump stated.

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The Obama Presidential Center is an ambitious 19-acre project being built as a tribute to the former president in the heart of a South Side neighborhood. The construction is "near substantial completion," according to the former president's foundation, but it has been besieged by significant delays and has gone well over budget.

The original cost of $350 million has now increased to $830 million. The center was initially scheduled to open in 2021, however, officials announced this delay won't be accessible to the public until 2026 .

But supporters say the center, which is privately funded, is aimed at revitalizing a historic public park in Chicago's South Side with various community partners and projected to generate $3 billion in economic activity .

Plans for the facility include building a forum for local and international gatherings, an athletic center for the community, a walking trail, a great lawn, a sledding hill and a playground. It is projected to be a catalyst for economic development.

"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," Obama Foundation spokeswoman Emily Bittner told USA TODAY 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's critiques went further during the Oval Office meeting. He argued the Obama library's woes were due to its emphasis on hiring local and minority-owned companies. The Obama Foundation has said that about 35% of subcontractors would be minority-owned businesses, 15% would be women-owned and 9% would be from the greater Chicago area.

“And Obama essentially said, ‘I only desire diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. I only want individuals who are socially aware.’ He believes these conscious individuals should construct it,” Trump stated. “And indeed, he has such conscientious people.”

The project took a reputational hit earlier this year after a Black-owned subcontracting company filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against another contractor. But the foundation is not a party to that dispute, and officials said it would have no impact on the center's opening timeline given it was filed after the work was completed.

Obama has been critical of Trump 2.0

The two men were cordial to one another at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter earlier this year, even sharing a laugh, but Obama hasn't shied away from expressing his disapproval of Trump's use of executive authority in his second term.

In April, for example, Obama encouraged universities and law firms to resist the administration's actions and stick up for democratic values. He slammed the Trump administration for cancelling federal contracts to companies linked to opposing political figures and moving to block hundreds of millions for colleges and universities that refused to ban the use of masks and eliminate diversity programs, for example.

"Such conduct goes against the fundamental agreement we uphold as Americans," he stated, posing a challenge. the audience At Hamilton College in New York: "What if I had accomplished even one of these things?"

Obama also took a swipe at Trump for booting the Associated Press from official events in retaliation for the news agency's refusal to adopt Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America.

If I had revoked Fox News' press passes at the White House briefing room," Obama stated in April, "you would be amused, yet this scenario reflects reality.

Recently, Trump, who has been pushing the false claim That someone believed Obama wasn’t born in the United States about ten years back, but they have since expressed some praise regarding him. For instance, during the 2024 presidential race, this person described Obama as a “decent man” who they happen to “admire and respect.”

When considering the unlawful notion of pursuing a third term, Trump became enthusiastic about the prospect of competing against Obama.

"I would really enjoy that, son, I would truly appreciate it," he stated.

The article initially appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump mocks Barack Obama's presidential library