Obama Foundation Invites Trump to Tour Presidential Center After ‘Disaster’ Attack
CHICAGO — The Obama Foundation says President Donald Trump would be welcomed for a tour of the Obama Presidential Center after the president repeatedly criticized the new Chicago campus ahead of its public opening.
Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett told USA Today during a June 3 preview that visitors should “judge for yourself” and that Trump would be welcomed if he wanted to see the Center firsthand, The Independent reported. The outlet also reported that Trump has called the project a “disaster” and shared AI-generated trash-themed images mocking the campus.
The Obama Presidential Center is scheduled to open to the public June 19 after a June 18 dedication. The Obama Foundation says the campus will include free public areas, a Chicago Public Library branch, public art, landscaped park space and a paid museum experience.
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The dispute gives the opening a sharper political frame. Trump’s criticism has focused on cost, delays and appearance. The Foundation’s response shifts the story from online attacks to a public challenge: come see the campus before judging it.
The broader consequence is civic and economic, not legal. AP reports the roughly $850 million, nearly 20-acre project includes a paid museum tower and free public spaces, and is expected to draw as many as 1 million visitors annually.
There is also a key records distinction. The National Archives says the Obama Presidential Center is privately operated and non-federal, while NARA maintains control of official Obama presidential records and artifacts.
No White House response was reported in the available article. The next question is whether Trump responds to the invitation before the Center’s Juneteenth public opening.
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