President Trump recently criticized the currently under-construction Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, and the Obama Foundation set the record straight.

Recently, President Donald Trump took a moment to share his thoughts on President Obama and the Obama Presidential Center. During a White Hose meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump went on a tangent to critique the former president’s center, currently under construction in Chicago. 

“It’s a disaster,” Trump said. “[Obama] said something to the effect of I only want DEI. I only want woke. He wants woke people to build it. Well, he got woke people…. He’s got a library that’s a disaster.”

According to President Trump, former President Obama has prioritized hiring a diverse “inexperienced workforce” instead of the “good, hard, tough, mean construction workers,” he prefers. 

Unlike traditional presidential libraries, the Obama Presidential Center will not store paper archives—it’s the first of its kind to go fully digital. Instead, per the Obama Foundation. it’s being built as a hub for community engagement and leadership development, designed to serve as both a museum and an international gathering space.

Trump also tried to stir concern over the center’s budget and falsely claimed construction had come to a halt due to a lawsuit. That lawsuit, as The Chicago Tribune reported, involves allegations of racial discrimination from a Black-owned subcontractor—an issue that, while serious, has not stopped progress on the site.

In response, the Obama Foundation made clear that construction remains on schedule, with plans to open in 2026.

“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. “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.”

The foundation also reminded critics that the project is privately funded and projected to generate an estimated $3 billion in economic activity once completed.