Trump says Obama library ‘stuck’ due to ‘women and DEI’ builders
Former President Donald Trump criticized the ongoing construction of former president Barack Obama’s Presidential Center in Chicago, claiming the project is “stuck” as it is indeed being built “only by women and DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives. The Obama Presidential Center, which broke ground in September 2021 and is expected to open in spring 2026, has faced delays and cost overruns, with expenses rising from an estimated $300 million to $850 million. The project has also attracted controversy, including a $40 million lawsuit from a Black-owned subcontractor alleging racial discrimination by the engineering firm involved. Critics,including Senator Ted Cruz,have mocked the building’s unconventional “brutalist” design. Trump contrasted the slow progress with his own Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, which he described as built “very quickly and very well.” Trump is also planning his own presidential libary in Miami, although that project currently faces legal challenges.
Trump says Obama library ‘stuck’ because ‘only women and DEI’ building it
President Donald Trump on Tuesday took a shot at former President Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago, saying the construction project is “stuck” because “only women and DEI” are building it.
Construction for the Obama Presidential Center has been ongoing since its groundbreaking ceremony in September 2021. Finally nearing completion, the project is expected to open in spring 2026. However, Trump knocked at his first predecessor’s commitment to empowering female and diverse construction workers.
“He needs help,” he answered in response to a question from Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese about the building’s brutalist architecture that has been recently ridiculed online. “It’s not too pretty.”
“It’s closed. It’s stopped. They ran out of money,” Trump continued. “They’re stuck, and he wanted only women and DEI to build it. Well, that’s what they got.”
Earlier this year, the engineering firm responsible for building Obama’s presidential library was hit with a $40 million lawsuit filed by a black-owned concrete subcontractor over alleged racial discrimination. The subcontractor claimed the engineering firm’s professional criticism amounted to racially discriminatory practices that forced it to do extra work and put it on the verge of bankruptcy.
The lawsuit drew national attention to the library’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for its construction contracts, which required at least 35% of subcontracts to be owned by minorities.
Delays have plagued the project for the past four years, contributing to an estimated total cost of $850 million. When the project was first proposed, it was estimated to cost about $300 million.
Once completed, the Obama Presidential Center will feature a 225-foot-tall museum as the main attraction and include a branch of the Chicago Public Library, in addition to other amenities.
Among the building’s critics is Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who likened its unconventional design to the Death Star from Star Wars.
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The president contrasted Obama’s presidential library with the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, saying that the “big, beautiful” property named after himself was built “very quickly and very well.”
Meanwhile, Trump is moving forward with setting plans in motion for his own presidential library in Miami. The project, however, is currently facing legal trouble and a court injunction. Trump’s presidential library will open sometime after the end of his second term.
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