Highlights from the ceremony
• Obama reflects on past and looks ahead: In remarks during the opening ceremony of his presidential center in Chicago, former President Barack Obama called on Americans to look to the future, saying: “We want to find a way to look toward each other again, not further away.” He delivered pointed criticism of President Donald Trump, without mentioning his successor by name, when talking about a “belief in the peaceful transfer of power.” He praised former Sen. Mitt Romney and the late former Sen. John McCain, Obama’s two Republican opponents in his presidential runs who both became notable Trump critics.
• Former first lady’s message: In her speech, Michelle Obama also implored Americans to remain engaged. The former first lady did not mention anyone in the Trump administration by name, but called out immigration policies: “No one has the right to sit in judgment of who’s American enough.”
• Big names who were — and weren’t — there: Guests today included former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden. Trump, whose feud with Obama long predates his time in the White House, was not invited. The grand opening event also featured a star-studded lineup of performers, including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Common and Christina Aguilera.
• Details on the center: The highly anticipated center will officially open to the public tomorrow, on Juneteenth. It has been in the works for more than a decade and cost $850 million to build. The sprawling campus includes a museum, garden, basketball court, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.
Our coverage of the opening of the Obama Presidential Center has concluded. Please scroll through the posts below to learn about the day’s events.
Obama implores Americans to reject “cynicism": Key moments from presidential center opening
The opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center honored and celebrated former President Barack Obama’s legacy.
Speaking to thousands gathered in Chicago, Obama urged Americans to reject pessimism.
“It’s tempting to give in to cynicism and even despair,” he said, adding, “I do not believe that is the story of America that prevails in the end.”
Throughout his speech, Obama homed in on themes of hope and the need to fight for democracy even during difficult times.
In case you missed it, these are key moments from Obama’s speech and the ceremony:
- Obama had a special message for former President Joe Biden, who was in attendance. “Joe, we started as running mates and ended as family, and we would not be here without you. And we are grateful,” he said.
- He paid tribute to Chicago: “I found my purpose here and I fortified my faith here and I found my community here,” he said.
- A message for wife Michelle Obama: “She’s always made me better. And I could not be more grateful.”
- Obama noted that he did not want the center to be “a mausoleum.” But he has had an active engagement with what he called the “unfinished business” of his time in office.
- He delivered a pointed criticism of President Donald Trump, without mentioning his successor by name, as he described his hopes that “shared values that make democracy possible” course through the presidential center.
- The 44th president said those values were shared by his GOP opponents in his two presidential campaigns — John McCain and Mitt Romney.
- Obama urged those visiting his presidential center that are stretched for time to “skip” clips of his speeches and instead focus on the exhibits that highlight ordinary citizens.
Michelle Obama’s speech:
- Barack Obama wiped away a tear as the former first lady delivered a moving tribute to her husband. She began her speech saying she wanted to “fully sing his praises.”
- “You told me all those years ago that you couldn’t promise me the world but you could promise me an interesting life, and, of course, you outdid yourself and managed to give me both,” she said.
- Michelle Obama praised her husband for his resilience in the face of criticism, including conspiracy theories questioning whether he was born in the US — something promoted at one point by Trump.
- “You were unflappable at every turn, always focused always calm and always looking at the long view. Tough,” she said. “How absurd it is to even imagine that you might’ve buckled under the pressure even once, lashed out in frustration, lost your temper.”
- The former first lady praised her husband for his “stubborn optimism and courage,” but also offered thoughts on today’s political moment.“Especially during these anxious and divided times, we must remember those values are not unique to my husband,” she said.
Former first lady Michelle Obama paid an emotional tribute to her husband, former President Barack Obama, during the opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side.
And there was a big lineup of performances:
- Grammy Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson, a native of Chicago’s South Side, sang the national anthem, followed by a performance of “The Impossible Dream.”
- Christina Aguilera performed “What a Wonderful World.”
- U2 lead singer Bono ended his rendition of “City of Blinding Lights” with a refrain: “Michelle, my belle.”
- Stevie Wonder closed out the musical performances today with a staple of the Obama-era campaign soundtrack: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
The Obama center isn't a typical presidential library
No, it’s not a presidential library.
The Obama Presidential Center is not a traditional research library, a departure from the practice of modern-day presidents before him — at least dating back to Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose library opened in 1941.
No records from the Obama administration will be stored on site in Chicago. No government archivists will be on hand from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to help scholars research the Obama presidency.
It will be run privately by the nonprofit Obama Foundation instead of NARA. The presidential archive itself, run by NARA, will be made fully digital for the first time, which meant digitizing some 30 million pages, per the Obama Foundation.
Obama has argued will allow greater access in the years to come, considering many of the records are electronic anyway. The actual papers and other artifacts are stored in a National Archives facility in College Park, Maryland.
Presidential historians have criticized Obama’s decision to break with tradition and not open a traditional research library.
Naftali, who was brought aboard the Nixon library to create a more accurate account of the Watergate scandal, said he feared by not having the National Archives involved, “the Obama museum will lack the organic impulse to evolve in a nonpartisan, more nuanced direction.”
CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury contributed to this post.
Frustration and disappointment displayed in "The Work That Remained"
It’s not merely accomplishments that are on display at the Obama Presidential Center. A few searing disappointments are also included — notably gun violence and immigration reform — near a plaque that says, “The Work That Remained.”
Visitors to the museum can stop and listen to passages from Obama’s speeches in the aftermath of high-profile shootings. They also can watch a moving scene following the Senate’s defeat of legislation to expand gun control measures after a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School left 20 students and six adults dead in 2012.
The exhibit is titled “America’s Gun Violence Epidemic.”
“Congressional Republicans and some Democrats sided with the gun lobby and blocked gun safety legislation supported by most Americans,” the text of the panel says. “Frustrated, Obama worked to mobilize activists to push for reforms at the state and local levels.”
A presidential list of 37 bullet points: "No ethical lapses, unforced errors, agency scandals"
As president, Barack Obama often had a yellow legal pad in hand — taking notes and writing speeches longhand. And, as it turns out, writing long lists of goals for his administration.
One such note — never before seen by the public — is placed behind glass in the museum, tucked away in a spot on the third floor in a set of exhibits from his presidency.
It is a handwritten priority list of 37 bullet points, including a direct order for his team: “No ethical lapses, unforced errors, agency scandals.”
Stevie Wonder turns to Obama-era campaign staple: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"
Stevie Wonder closed out the musical performances today with a
staple of the Obama era campaign soundtrack: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
Barack and Michelle Obama were seen dancing to the song that served as an anthem for his presidential campaigns.
Wonder then recounted an early conversation he had with Obama as he was getting his political start, saying he told him, “In my spirit, I know that you’re running to be a senator but I’m seeing you as being president.”
“I want you to remember, all of you, never let fear put your dreams to sleep,” Wonder told the crowd before he called up the ceremony’s other performers for a joint rendition of “Higher Ground.”
Obama urges Americans to fight "cynicism and despair"
Former President Barack Obama offered a lesson about the future as thousands gathered in Chicago to celebrate his past.
Obama has been working on his speech for several weeks, aides said, and was still rewriting and fine-tuning his remarks shortly before taking the stage.
He set out to deliver a clarion call to protect democracy on cusp of America’s 250th birthday, imploring citizens to fight temptation for “cynicism and despair.”
President Donald Trump was neither invited here – nor was his name directly invoked – but Obama made clear he was urging people to look beyond the current divisive political moment.
“These are the values and traditions I believe in – they are not Republican or Democratic values. They are American values we can all share, regardless of party,” Obama said. “Despite all of our differences, we can see each other and understand one another and make common cause together. That’s what I hope every visitor to this center takes away from their experience.”
Obama calls on visitors to skip clips of his speeches for stories of ordinary citizens
Former President Barack Obama urged those visiting his presidential center that are stretched for time to “skip” clips of his speeches and instead focus on the exhibits that highlight ordinary citizens.
Obama spoke of shared American values as a “belief that qualities of character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion a sense of duty and honor, those things matter in our public dealings, just as they do in our private lives these are not.”
“They are American values we can all share, regardless of party values. Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold,” Obama said, “Values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did. It is our greatest inheritance. The story of America at its best, because it reflects a basic faith in the decency of our fellow citizens and the possibility that despite all of our differences, we can see each other and understand one another and make common cause together.”
He cited an example of a cancer survivor “who feared rising premiums would force her out of her home and was brave enough to speak out about it; she’s why we pushed so hard for health care reform,” among the stories that are on display at the center.
Reflecting on changes over the last decade, Obama acknowledges: “It’s a lot”
Former President Obama reflected on the societal changes in the United States over the decade since he left office, expressing concern about the trajectory of the country’s politics.
“In that time we have lived through more war, and a terrible pandemic, economic disruptions, mass protests, backlash against mass protests, political conflicts that have shaken the very foundation of our democracy,” the former president remarked.
Obama commented on the vast technological leaps and widening economic inequality over those years, saying they have amplified divisions.
While acknowledging he is “not immune to anger or doubt,” the former president urged resilience and cooperation.
“When we lose faith in each other, when we stop believing that voting matters, that citizenship matters, that our collective voices matter, that how we treat each other no longer matters, and we give away our power to decide our own futures – we open the door to the most ruthless, or the most careless, or the most fearful among us,” Obama said.
Obama says center is not meant for “nostalgia” of an “unattainable past”
Former President Barack Obama painted his presidential center as a forward-looking endeavor, not simply a remembrance of the past.
“We can learn from the past, but America’s story isn’t frozen in the past,” he added. “It has chapters yet to be written, not by one person or a few people, not by Barack or Michelle or anybody with a fancy title or a higher office, but by all of us.”
Obama’s jarring displays of modesty
There are many contrasts between the Obama era and the Trump era. But one of the biggest ones on display today is modesty.
While President Donald Trump will tell anyone within earshot about how great everything he’s done is, former President Barack Obama made a point to gesture at his failures and appeared embarrassed to be praised.
When first lady Michelle Obama signaled she was about to take some time to “fully sing his praises” and encouraged him to look at her while she did it, the former president didn’t look up and said he was going to keep looking down.
After appearing teary-eyed towards the end of her remarks about him, the former president reflected in his own speech.
“She did me wrong. She wouldn’t let me see her speech,” he said. “She knew she was going to mess me up, and she did it anyway. But she’s always made me better. And I could not be more grateful.”
Obama at another point alluded to how the presidential center would also capture some of the failures of his presidency. He noted he kept a plaque on his desk in the Oval Office that said, “Hard things are hard.”
“Of course, we did not accomplish everything we set out to do. No administration does,” Obama said. “Some of the exhibits reflect unfinished business – in some cases, my own shortcomings and mistakes.”
Obama delivers pointed criticism of Trump as he talks about a “belief in the peaceful transfer of power"
Former President Barack Obama delivered a pointed criticism of President Donald Trump, without mentioning his successor by name, as he described his hopes that “shared values that make democracy possible” course through the presidential center.
One of those values, Obama said, is “a belief in the peaceful transfer of power after the people have spoken in fair and free elections, recognizing that in a large complicated society like ours no group or faction gets its way 100% of the time.”
“A belief that qualities of character – honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion, a sense of duty and honor – those things matter in our public dealings just as they do in our public lives,” he continued. “These are the values and traditions I believe in, and they are not Republican or Democratic values. They’re American values we can all share regardless of party. Values every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold.”
Obama said these were also values shared by his GOP opponents in his two presidential campaigns - John McCain and Mitt Romney.
Obama's history lesson for America's 250th
During his remarks Thursday, Obama reflected on the upcoming anniversary of America’s founding and the meaning he hoped his presidential library would impart to visitors.
Recalling the struggle of the revolutionary founders and the values of democracy, the former president noted that “because it hadn’t been done before, the success of this experiment was never a given.”
Linking the national anniversary to the opening of his presidential library, Obama said that “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is, and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens.”
Obama acknowledges "unfinished business" when he left office
Former President Barack Obama noted that he did not want the museum to be “a mausoleum,” joking, “I’m not ready for that yet.” But he has had an active engagement with what he called the “unfinished business” of his time in office.
CNN reported that he personally directed that many exhibits have added plaques describing “The Work That Remained.”
These, Obama said in his speech, are both reminders of where his administration fell short but also of a saying he had as a sign on his desk in the Oval Office: “Hard things are hard.”
Obama’s ode to Chicago: “I found my purpose here”
Former President Barack Obama paid tribute to Chicago, which has served as a foundation for his personal and political life – and now as the home of the center memorializing his presidency.
“I found my purpose here and I fortified my faith here and I found my community here,” he said. “Friendships that would last a lifetime and I found a girl from the South Side who has been my greatest blessing.”
He recounted how his wedding reception was held just a walk away, his daughters were born down the street, and he launched his first run for the Illinois state senate in the city.
Obama's praise of Biden comes amid some tension between their camps
The relationship between Barack Obama and Joe Biden has been rocky for the past few years, with the Biden orbit feeling that the 44th president was not supportive enough during the 46th president’s time in the White House, and the 44th’s feeling that the 46th was too dismissive.
Several people who have been through the museum told CNN that they feel the former vice president is not featured much.
But Obama kicked off his speech at the opening with a heartfelt message to his former vice president, telling him: “We started as running mates, and ended as family. And we would not be here without you.”
Obama says former first lady “always made me better”
Former President Barack Obama had a message for wife Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia Obama in his opening remarks at today’s presidential center opening.
“To Michelle. She did me wrong. She wouldn’t let me see her speech. She knew she was going to mess me up. And she did it anyway. But she’s always made me better. And I could not be more grateful,” Obama said, referencing the former first lady’s earlier speech paying tribute to her husband and his legacy.
“And to Sasha and Malia, what can I say? You mean everything to me,” he said.
Obama thanks former presidents, singling out Bidens for "steadfast partnership"
Former President Barack Obama started his speech thanking the former presidents in attendance.
He also had a special message for former President Joe Biden, who served by his side for eight years as vice president, and former first lady Jill Biden.
“Thank you for your steadfast partnership for eight years,” Obama said. “Joe, we started as running mates and ended as family, and we would not be here without you. And we are grateful.”
NOW: Former President Barack Obama addresses opening ceremony
Former President Barack Obama has taken the stage, addressing attendees at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center.
Michelle Obama’s subtweet of the Trump era
While the festivities are understandably focused on the years 2009 through 2017, there have been a few reminders of the political tensions of today.
And former first lady Michelle Obama seemed to repeatedly allude to Donald Trump and the Trump era – without directly invoking the current president.
While addressing her husband, she cited “the lies about your birthright, your faith, your patriotism” – a reference to the birther campaign that Trump led.
She cited the need to avoid comparing how American people of different backgrounds are, calling it “a dangerous precedent” and adding: “No one – and I mean no one – has the right to sit in judgment about who’s American enough.”
She effusively praised her husband’s virtues and urged listeners not to lose sight, in this particular moment, of how many people embody them.
“Especially during these anxious and divisive times, it is so important that we remember that those values are not unique to my husband,” she said. “They’re the same ones that your husbands and wives, your parents and children, your friends and neighbors exhibit and pass on.”
And she painted the presidential center as something of an antidote to some of the trends that happen to be big initiatives of the Trump administration – things like eliminating diversity programs.
