appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Agence France-Presse

All living US ex-presidents – with the notable absence of current White House occupant Donald Trump – joined a star-studded line-up on Thursday for the opening of Barack Obama’s presidential centre in Chicago.
Obama, 64, struck his trademark hopeful tone in a speech inaugurating the modernistic centre.
The country’s first black president alluded to fears among many Americans that US democracy was in danger, winning applause with the phrase “no kings” – a popular anti-Trump protest slogan.
But Obama also said that an “overwhelming majority” wants the nation to heal.
“People aren’t looking for perpetual anger and division,” he said. “They are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect.”
The futuristic complex housing Obama’s records and mementos from his two terms in office was set to open to the public on Friday.

Thursday was for celebrities including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey, alongside performances by U2’s Bono, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and hip-hop band The Roots.
This was also one of those rare occasions when the country’s former presidents gathered in one place.
Republican George W. Bush and Democrats Bill Clinton and Joe Biden walked on stage, joining Obama, his wife Michelle Obama, and their daughters Sasha and Malia.
Not only was 80-year-old Trump absent but he routinely continues to launch criticism and often personal insults at Obama, shattering the informal truce traditionally observed within the presidents’ club.
“I’m so disappointed we’ve reached this point,” Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said of the acrimonious environment in Washington.
“I’m honoured that President Bush would make this a bipartisan salute to Barack Obama and Michelle,” he added. “We need to get back in that spirit again, and we can, America can get through this and come together.”

Foreign guests at the gathering included former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi and former German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Chicagoans watched from a distance on the Midway Plaisance, the mile-long park stretching past the University of Chicago, where Obama once taught law.
Chicago’s South Side played a prominent role in Obama’s career.
He cut his political teeth there as a community organiser in the 1980s before representing the area in the Illinois State Senate, then winning a US Senate seat in 2004.
Still in his first term as a senator, he launched an outsider bid for the presidency and went on to win two terms, leading the nation between 2009 and 2017.
Now the neighbourhood would play host to the former president’s complex, which features an NBA-sized basketball court – a nod to Obama’s and Chicago’s shared love of the sport – and the 69-metre granite tower housing his museum.

The stark architecture has drawn astonishment and outright criticism, with Trump comparing it to a rubbish bin. More generous critics have called the building the “Obamalisk” and compared it to a Star Wars spaceship.
But the US$850 million centre will enshrine Obama’s core message of “hope”, said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation and a former top White House aide during his presidency.
There is a sprawling playground and a public library. But unlike the other 15 official US presidential libraries around the country, it would store archives digitally instead of having physical copies.
“Chicago has produced so many things,” said Illinois Congressman Danny Davis, who has represented Chicago’s West Side since 1997.
“It’s been a centrepiece of the Civil Rights movement, of human rights, of social work, of social development, of social activity and of course, in terms of race relations and race development, the only place from which an African-American has become president of the United States.”


Taylor Swift and the Haim sisters’ decade-long friendship

As populations fall, nations that can tap human potential will succeed

Trump unveils new Air Force One, as he plans trips to China and Turkey

Iran floats insurance fees and asserts control over Hormuz

United States

Ex-presidents and stars gather for Obama library opening, but Trump stays away

The Obamas and the Clintons at the opening of the complex in Chicago. Photo: Reuters

Barack Obama’s presidential centre in Chicago. Photo: AFP

Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Vedder. Photo: EPA

Former US presidents and first ladies. Photo: AP

Trump to hold political rally on July 4 to mark US 250th anniversary

US President Donald Trump during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Opera singer Christopher Macchio performs during the 60th presidential inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington on January 20, 2025. Photo: Pool Photo via AP

Trump pauses spy chief hearing to secure pick for powerful prosecutor post

Jay Clayton speaks during a press conference in New York City on December 10, 2025. Photo: Reuters,

Bill Pulte remains DNI’s acting director until a permanent head is approved. Photo: AP

Gavin Newsom accuses Trump of directing Justice Department to investigate him

California Governor Gavin Newsom. Photo: The Sacramento Bee / TNS

The US$4.25 trillion question: Becerra and Hilton will face off for California governor

A voter casts his ballot at an election centre in Los Angeles on June 2. The state's next governor will succeed Gavin Newsom. Photo: AP

Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra. Photo: Reuters

Republican candidate Steve Hilton. Photo: AP

Jill Biden feared Joe Biden was having a stroke during disastrous 2024 debate

Joe Biden during his debate with Donald Trump in June, 2024. Photo: AP

Joe Biden during his debate with Donald Trump in June, 2024. Photo: AFP

News

World

United States & Canada

Bush, Clinton and Biden join a star-studded event to celebrate the new ⁠museum and civic centre in Chicago


Bush, Clinton and Biden join a star-studded event to celebrate the new ⁠museum and civic centre in Chicago.


Ex-presidents and stars gather for Obama library opening, but Trump stays away

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Bush, Clinton and Biden join a star-studded event to celebrate the new ⁠museum and civic centre in Chicago

Bush, Clinton and Biden join a star-studded event to celebrate the new ⁠museum and civic centre in Chicago