Fact Check: Is Trump planning to close Obama Center calling it 'waste of taxpayer funds'?
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Following the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump is planning to close it down, calling it a “waste of taxpayer funds,” drawing mixed reactions from netizens. The claim has sparked speculations among many, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Trump planning to close Obama Presidential Center
According to the viral claim, President Trump is planning on closing the newly opened Obama Center as part of a DEI crackdown, calling it "a waste of taxpayer funds."
An X post claimed, “The long-standing feud between President Trump and disgraced former President Barack Obama has reached a new chapter, as Trump is reportedly planning on shutting down the freshly opened Obama center in Chicago as a part of his administration's eradication of DEI from all aspects of our federal government in his most recent snub of his notoriously corrupt predecessor.”
Fact Check: No credible evidence to support the claim
The claim, however, is false, as there are no records of Trump making such a plan. Although Trump has criticized it, there is no evidence of any remarks, official statements, or social media posts from the president about a plan to shut down the newly opened center.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no credible reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have made headlines, sparking widespread debates.
The claim was posted by an X user named Joshua Hall, who describes himself as a political prisoner. Though not explicitly a parody account, the account has posted several such fake and unverified claims likely for the sake of engagement.
A fact check by Grok stated, “False. The Obama Presidential Center opened to the public in mid-June 2026 as a privately funded nonprofit project. Trump has criticized it, but there are no plans or authority for him to close it.”
Donald Trump mocks Obama Center with an AI image
Trump, on June 13, shared an AI-generated image depicting the Obama Presidential Center surrounded by garbage, tents, and urban decay, then claimed the landmark would eventually become a "Mecca for those who hate America."
Accompanying the image was a caption stating, "The Obama Library ten years from now will be a 'Mecca' for those who hate America!"
Trump’s post marks his latest rant in one of the defining political grudges of the modern era.
