Obama Center opens in Chicago with a call to defend democracy and a
celebrity crowd
[June 19, 2026]
By SCOTT BAUER
Former President Barack Obama formally opened his presidential center in
Chicago on Thursday with a call to defend democracy as three former
presidents joined him on stage in an extraordinary event featuring
politicians, A-list celebrities, athletes and other internationally
known figures.
“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,” the nation’s
first Black president told the crowd.
Bono, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Eddie Vedder
took turns on the stage ahead of Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder,
who closed the show singing “Higher Ground” as the former presidents,
world leaders and others danced along.
President Donald Trump was conspicuous both in his physical absence and
by not being mentioned by any of the speakers or performers. Trump
called the $850 million center a “total disaster” in a social media post
in February.
Obama 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.”
Reflecting on his arrival in Chicago in 1985 as an untested political
organizer, he said he could not have built the Obama Presidential Center
anywhere else. He met his future wife Michelle nearby, their wedding
reception was within walking distance, his children were born in the
neighborhood and he launched his first candidacy not far away.
“It’s an expression of thanks, an acknowledgment that so much of what I
hold most dear I owe to the people of this city and the people of the
surrounding neighborhoods,” Obama said.
Michelle had some emotional words for her husband
The Obamas and their daughters shared the stage with former presidents
Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton along with former first
ladies Jill Biden, Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Former Vice
President Kamala Harris and many other leading Democrats were in the
audience.
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.
“Instead, you used it to reveal your truest essence,” she said. “Your
stubborn optimism and unflinching courage. Your dazzling brilliance and
unpretentious decency. Your ferocious work ethic and absolutely
unshakable moral fiber. And to do it all as a first.”
She 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.”
“And you did it all with such grace and class and cool,” she said. “You
made the hardest job in the world look like a walk in this beautiful
park.”
Obama appeared to wipe away a tear as she praised him.
Michelle Obama 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.”
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Former President Barack Obama, right, shares a laugh with former
first lady Michelle Obama, left, on stage during the dedication
ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center, Thursday, June 18, 2026,
in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A-list entertainers sang inspirational anthems and protest songs
Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem and Aguilera delivered a
rousing rendition of “What a Wonderful World.” Pearl Jam’s Vedder,
joined by Chicago teenagers in the nonprofit Guitars Over Guns
program, sang an original song called “Better Believe,” written just
for the dedication.
Legend sang “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and was joined by the rapper
Common and Uniting Voices Chicago for their Academy Award-winning
song “Glory.”
Bono, who said he was representing the Irish, joined with The Edge
in singing the U2 song “City of Blinding Lights.” The Roots served
as the house band. And Springsteen sang “Land of Hopes and Dreams”
before turning to the Obamas and saying “I love you.”
Wonder sang “All I Do” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)”
before the grand finale, joined by the performers who preceded him.
The VIP crowd included several potential 2028 Democratic
presidential candidates; civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Al
Sharpton; Oprah Winfrey; comedians David Letterman, Conan O’Brien
and Stephen Colbert; actor Tom Hanks; tennis legend Billie Jean King
and Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts.
Former world leaders in attendance included former German Chancellor
Angela Merkel and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Event kicked off weekend of celebration
The three-hour invite-only celebration included commentary from a
nearby park where thousands gathered, and it was livestreamed to
many more. It kicks off a weekend of events as the center opens to
the general public on Juneteenth.
“This is not a monument to the Obamas,” said Valerie Jarrett, the
Obama Foundation’s chief executive and former Obama top adviser.
“This is a tribute to all those who made this journey possible.”
The opening, like the ribbon-cuttings of other presidential
libraries over the years, had a heavy focus on accomplishments. This
former president also expressed some regrets — such as the increase
in political polarization during his two terms. “It’s one of the few
regrets of my presidency — that the rancor and suspicion between the
parties has gotten worse instead of better,” Obama said in his final
State of the Union.
“Some of the exhibits reflect unfinished business,” Obama said
Thursday. “In some cases, my own shortcomings and mistakes.”
General admission tickets for the center are sold out through the
end of October. More than a million visitors a year are expected at
the nearly 20-acre campus.
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Associated Press writer Mike Catalini contributed to this report
from Washington, D.C.
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