Trump’s discussion with Carney veers into allegations regarding employment at Obama’s presidential center
The president made unsubstantiated claims stating that Obama exclusively employed individuals associated with “DEI” and “woke” ideologies for its construction.
TroibNews 
During his Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, President Donald Trump diverged from the agenda and criticized former President Barack Obama regarding the construction of the Obama Presidential Center.
When a reporter inquired about the timeline for the Trump administration's investments to be reflected in economic data, Trump shifted the focus and claimed, without evidence, that Obama intends to hire “DEI” and “woke” individuals to construct his center in Chicago instead of “good, hard, tough construction workers that I love.”
“It’s a disaster,” he stated. “[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.”
Despite Trump's comments, it is important to note that Obama’s center will not contain a presidential library.
Trump further asserted that the project is experiencing “massive cost overruns” and that “the job has stopped,” claims which the Obama Foundation has disputed.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this year, one of the local subcontractors, II in One, which is African American-owned, accused the main contractor, Thornton Tomasetti, of racial discrimination. However, Thornton Tomasetti responded by alleging that construction delays and costs were “all unequivocally driven by the underperformance and inexperience” of that subcontractor.
The construction of the center has faced legal hurdles concerning its location in a public Chicago park, and as reported by The Wall Street Journal in 2021, it has set “a modern record for time between a presidency and completion.”
“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,” stated Emily Bittner, a spokesperson for the Obama Foundation. “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.”
In addition, Trump expressed his willingness to assist the former president, saying, “I don’t like that happening, because I think it’s bad for the presidency. I would love to help him with it.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
When a reporter inquired about the timeline for the Trump administration's investments to be reflected in economic data, Trump shifted the focus and claimed, without evidence, that Obama intends to hire “DEI” and “woke” individuals to construct his center in Chicago instead of “good, hard, tough construction workers that I love.”
“It’s a disaster,” he stated. “[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.”
Despite Trump's comments, it is important to note that Obama’s center will not contain a presidential library.
Trump further asserted that the project is experiencing “massive cost overruns” and that “the job has stopped,” claims which the Obama Foundation has disputed.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this year, one of the local subcontractors, II in One, which is African American-owned, accused the main contractor, Thornton Tomasetti, of racial discrimination. However, Thornton Tomasetti responded by alleging that construction delays and costs were “all unequivocally driven by the underperformance and inexperience” of that subcontractor.
The construction of the center has faced legal hurdles concerning its location in a public Chicago park, and as reported by The Wall Street Journal in 2021, it has set “a modern record for time between a presidency and completion.”
“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,” stated Emily Bittner, a spokesperson for the Obama Foundation. “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.”
In addition, Trump expressed his willingness to assist the former president, saying, “I don’t like that happening, because I think it’s bad for the presidency. I would love to help him with it.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
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