Barack Obama’s new Presidential Center in Chicago has been revealed, but social media users are having a field day trolling the design. Check out the reactions and see what people are comparing it to.
Barack Obama’s highly anticipated Presidential Center has finally been revealed, but the internet isn’t exactly showing the former president much love. While the $830 million project in Chicago’s Jackson Park has been in the works for nearly a decade, the latest footage of the nearly completed structure has quickly become the subject of brutal online trolling.
The Presidential Center, set to open in spring 2026, spans 19 acres and promises to be a community hub with a library branch, gardens, playgrounds, and even a basketball court. It’s being built by the Obama Foundation, which is running the project privately, rather than through the National Archives.
Despite the center’s ambitious goals, including civic engagement, collective action, and public education, the design has received some hilarious and critical reactions online. The museum’s building is shaped to resemble four hands coming together, with inscriptions from Obama’s famous 50th-anniversary speech on the Selma to Montgomery marches. But for many, this striking design has sparked more than just admiration.
The Brutal Roasting of Obama’s Presidential Center
The center’s unique design quickly became the target of internet humor when fresh images surfaced. Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram were flooded with reactions, with critics drawing comparisons to everything from trash bins to the iconic Death Star from Star Wars.
Senator Ted Cruz humorously tweeted, “Locating the Death Star in Chicago was a bold move,” referencing the building’s imposing, tower-like structure. That comment sparked a meme frenzy, with users posting their own interpretations of the center. One person joked, “It’s an ‘obamanation!’ Just like his presidency,” while another quipped, “It’s like someone built a Lego set without the instructions.”
Creative Comparisons: From Star Wars to Trash Bins
— Tapas (@Tapas1776) October 14, 2025
Social media users didn’t hold back in their comparisons. Photoshop wizards went to work, inserting the towering structure into scenes from Star Wars, complete with X-Wing fighters and AT-AT walkers. Some even topped the building with the fiery Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, further poking fun at its dramatic, brutalist style.
Others took a simpler route, comparing the design to the heads on Easter Island or even trash bins. One post humorously labeled the structure the “Litter Genie Plus Pail.”
What the Presidential Center Is Actually About
While the internet has been quick to roast the design, the Obama Foundation remains focused on the project’s mission. The Presidential Center is not meant to be a traditional presidential library—it will house a digital archive of Obama’s presidency, reflecting the growing role of the internet in modern governance. It’s also designed to serve as a leadership hub and a community space, with programs for local residents and features like the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium, named after a Chicago teen killed by gun violence.
The center will include a two-acre outdoor playground for families, a garden, and a plaza honoring civil rights icon John Lewis.
