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President Trump took shots astatine erstwhile President Barack Obama's Presidential Center in Chicago portion gathering with caller Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Tuesday, calling it "a disaster" and blaming "woke" operation workers.
Most of the Oval Office meeting focused connected tariffs and the narration betwixt Canada and the U.S., with Carney emphatically telling Mr. Trump that Canada is "not for sale" and "won't beryllium for sale, ever," portion Mr. Trump called the borderline betwixt the U.S. and Canada "artificial" and again raised the thought of Canada joining the U.S.
But portion mode done the meeting, the president digressed to speech astir the Obama Presidential Library, which is being built successful Chicago's Jackson Park. In his comments, helium derided the task and blamed "DEI" and "woke" for it being "a disaster."
"I mean look, President Obama — and if helium wanted help, I'd springiness him assistance due to the fact that I physique connected clip and connected fund — he's gathering his statesmanlike room successful Chicago. It's a disaster," Mr. Trump said. "And helium said thing to the effect, 'I lone privation DEI, I lone privation woke.' He wants woke radical to physique it. Well, helium got woke radical and they person monolithic outgo overruns, the occupation is stopped. I don't know, it's a disaster."
According to updates posted connected the Obama Foundation website, enactment has continued to adjacent the exterior of gathering and instal solid and granite finishing, and instal interior windows connected the depository levels. The instauration said insulation has besides been installed successful respective different buildings astatine the complex.
However, Mr. Trump claimed the halfway is "millions of dollars, similar many, galore — I mean, really, millions of dollars implicit budget," and said the problems were due to the fact that Pres. Obama "wanted to beryllium precise politically close and helium didn't usage good, hard, tough, mean operation workers that I love."
"He wanted radical that, like, ne'er did it earlier and he's got a catastrophe connected his hands," helium said.
A spokesperson for the Obama Foundation said the president's comments were not based successful information and said they judge helium was referencing "a comparatively communal quality betwixt 2 subcontractors implicit enactment that has already been completed."
"Everyone who sees the Obama Presidential Center is blown distant by its beauty, standard and the mode it volition beryllium an economical motor for Chicago and a beacon of anticipation for the world," the instauration said successful a statement. "We look guardant to welcoming each visitors to the 19.3-acre field adjacent spring, to acquisition a statesmanlike halfway that not lone honors the Obamas' bequest but besides lifts up the adjacent procreation of leaders."
The center's website touts their usage of national labour to physique the center, which is privately funded and does not usage payer dollars. Construction has been ongoing passim the often-harsh Chicago winter, and the instauration continues to expect that the Obama Presidential Center volition unfastened to the nationalist successful 2026.
The Obama Presidential Center is simply a ample analyzable connected the city's South Side that includes a effect and rootlike garden, diversion and events facility, a museum, an auditorium, a subdivision of the Chicago Public Library and more.
Sara Tenenbaum is the Senior Digital Producer for CBS News Chicago covering breaking, section and assemblage quality successful Chicago. She antecedently worked arsenic a integer shaper and elder integer shaper for ABC7 Chicago.
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