President Donald Trump will be conspicuously absent from a major celebration in Chicago this summer, as Barack Obama prepares to open his presidential center without the current White House occupant in attendance.
Donald Trump isn’t invited to Barack Obama’s event, reports claim
The Obama Presidential Center, a sprawling campus in Chicago’s Jackson Park neighborhood, will officially welcome the public on June 19. But when the Obamas host their dedication ceremony the day before, one recent former president reportedly won’t be on the guest list.
Donald Trump did not receive an invitation to the Obama Presidential Center’s grand opening festivities, according to PEOPLE. Trump, currently serving his second term in the White House, will not attend the June 18 dedication ceremony with former presidents. George W. Bush has confirmed his attendance at the event honoring the 44th president.
The Obama Foundation announced the opening schedule on March 7, detailing four days of celebrations from June 18 to 21. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama shared the news across social media platforms. “When visitors look up at the Obama Presidential Center’s Museum building, they’ll see three words: ‘You are America.’ Those words come from a speech I gave in Selma on the 50th anniversary of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge,” the former president wrote on Instagram. “They’re meant to honor the men and women who came before us. And to inspire the next generation to be messengers of hope,” he added.
Barack Obama continued: “That hope will have a home at the Obama Presidential Center.” The center represents a different approach from traditional presidential libraries. He deliberately chose to build a community-focused center rather than a conventional library, aiming to boost the Jackson Park neighborhood. It is where his political journey began, with his 1996 election to the state Senate. It is also where Michelle Obama grew up.
