On stage, Barack Obama voiced his support for character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion and sense of duty, praising both Democrats and Republicans.
Former President Barack Obama, joined by three former presidents, celebrated the opening of his presidential centre in Chicago on Thursday, in an extraordinary event that brought together world leaders, A-list celebrities and athletes.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The livestreamed, invite-only ceremony featured performances from Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Bono, Common, John Legend and more.
Reflecting on his arrival in Chicago in 1985 as an untested community organiser, Obama said he could not have built the center anywhere else.
He noted that he met his future wife Michelle nearby, their wedding reception was within walking distance of the centre, their children were born in the neighbourhood and he launched his first political campaign not far away
Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were joined on stage by their daughters, former presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, former first ladies Jill Biden, Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Notably absent was President Donald Trump, who in February described the $850 million (€740 million) centre as a "total disaster" in a social media post.
Although Trump was never mentioned by name during the ceremony, both Barack and Michelle Obama made veiled references widely interpreted as aimed at the current president.
Michelle Obama delivered the sharpest criticism, speaking just days after a UFC fighter called her "a man" during an event held at the White House to mark the United States' 250th anniversary.
In her speech, she praised her husband's presidency while condemning "the lies about your birthright" - a reference to the false "birther" conspiracy promoted by Trump more than a decade ago.
“How absurd it is to even imagine that you might have buckled under the pressure,” Michelle Obama said. “How absurd it is to imagine that you might have done anything but make our family and this entire country proud.”
Michelle Obama spoke directly to her husband when she stepped up to the podium. “Eight years in the crucible and not once did you melt in the heat. Not once did you let it harden you."
She also ticked off highlights from her husband's eight years in office, including ordering the raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, “standing up for marriage equality” and “listening to science.”
The former First Lady also referenced the current "anxious and divisive times” and warned against being cynical or complacent as “everything feels so upside down.” She pitched the center as “a respite from all that.”
Taking to the stage, the 44th president voiced his support for character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion and sense of duty, praising both Democrats and Republicans, including those he defeated.
“Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did,” Obama said. “It is our greatest inheritance.”
He also reflected on America’s founding as a “radical” experiment in self-government, recalling how the revolution rejected inherited power and hierarchy. He noted the founding promise that there would be "no kings or lords, no serfs or subjects, but only citizens."
What's inside the Obama Presidential Centre?
The nearly 20-acre campus sits in Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side, close to where Obama lived and first entered politics. It's expected to draw more than a million visitors a year.
As well as a towering museum covering the political and personal story of the nation's first Black president and first lady, the site includes a Chicago Public Library branch, basketball courts, a playground, an athletic centre and a picnic area.
“This is a safe space for people to come and, yes, reflect on the historic moments of this presidency and the campaigns, but also to come together as a community to think about what change you can bring to your own neighborhood," Josh Harris, the Obama Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, said during a tour of the campus.
Visitors to the museum will get to walk into a life-sized replica of the Oval Office.
Several of the ballgowns Michelle Obama wore as first lady are displayed on mannequins behind glass, including a black and red dress designed by Narciso Rodriguez that the former first lady wore on Election Night in Chicago.
Visitors will also get a chance to touch swatches of the fabrics, including the rose gold chain-mail Atelier Versace evening gown she wore at her final state dinner in 2016.
