Barack Obama promised Chicago his Presidential Center would serve the public good.
Republicans just exposed what he's actually delivering.
And Illinois Republicans just exposed Barack Obama's shady deal that has Chicago taxpayers furious.
Obama Presidential Center DEI Hiring: Foundation Demands "Anti-Racism" Pledge On Chicago Public Land
The Obama Presidential Center isn't scheduled to open until June, but the controversy already exploded.
The Obama Foundation just advertised 150 jobs requiring all applicants to align with their "anti-racism" agenda.
Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi didn't pull any punches about what Obama's really doing with public land he got for ten bucks.
"It's an Illinois Democrat tradition to insert divisive, far-left policies into the lives of everyday Americans and to balk at the rule of law," Salvi told Fox News Digital.
"The Obama Center is no different. It is a recipient of taxpayer funds built on public lands and flouts 'anti-racism' hiring goals," Salvi said.
"But such employment practices sound discriminatory and unmoored from any assessment of merit."
Obama grabbed 19.3 acres of Jackson Park – Chicago's version of Central Park – under a 99-year deal for just ten dollars.
City officials rubber-stamped the sweetheart arrangement claiming the center would serve the public interest.
Job postings at the center state the foundation is "deeply committed to creating an actively anti-racist organization, leveraging our global reach to combat systemic racism and inequity wherever it exists."
Applicants get directed to the foundation's anti-racism statement, which shows two people of color with raised fists marching.
The statement commits to "embedding anti-racism into hiring, leadership programs and organizational practices."
"In the United States, we are still grappling — in ways large and small — with the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and the scourge of racism," the statement reads.
Obama's center made this aggressive push for ideological hiring just weeks after Trump signed executive orders terminating DEI in federal government.
Trump's January 20 order declared the Biden administration "forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name 'diversity, equity, and inclusion,' into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government."
$850 Million Cost Overruns: Obama Library Endowment Fund Missing $469 Million In Taxpayer Protection
The timing couldn't be worse for Obama's DEI push.
Trump's making federal agencies purge DEI offices and programs across government.
But Obama Foundation operates as a private nonprofit, letting them dodge federal mandates while using public land.
The center will feature a 225-foot museum tower, conference facilities, gymnasium with regulation NBA court, and digital library.
Construction costs ballooned from $330 million to at least $850 million.
Obama promised to create a $470 million endowment protecting taxpayers if the project failed.
Tax filings show the foundation deposited exactly $1 million into that fund – and hasn't added a penny since 2021.
That's 0.21% of what Obama pledged.
University of Chicago law professor Richard Epstein warned taxpayers could get stuck with hundreds of millions in costs.
"They put a million dollars into a $400 million endowment, so it's endowed. That gets you in jail as a securities matter," Epstein told Fox News.
"An endowment means that you have the money in hand. But they have nothing."
The foundation's own documents estimated first-year operating costs at $40 million annually.
That means Obama actually needs $800 million to $1 billion for the center to be self-sustaining without tapping into principal.
Chicago taxpayers are on the hook if this project goes belly up.
Trump DEI Executive Order vs Obama Foundation: $40 Million Discrimination Lawsuit Rocks Chicago Project
Obama's DEI obsession already created real problems for the center.
A Black-owned construction subcontractor filed a $40 million discrimination lawsuit tied to the project.
The subcontractor alleged racially discriminatory treatment by an engineering firm involved in construction.
The engineering firm argued diversity-driven contracting decisions resulted in less qualified subcontractors being selected.
That contributed to inferior workmanship, delays, and massive cost overruns.
Salvi connected the dots between Obama's hiring practices and Trump's executive orders ending DEI.
"The Illinois Republican Party stands with President Trump and the Justice Department to end the tyranny of DEI and woke, performative politics plaguing the federal government, our military and the private sector," Salvi said.
"As the Trump Administration investigates such employment practices at-large, we will continue to demand accountability and fairness from civic and educational sites like the Obama Center claims to be."
The Obama Foundation responded by doubling down on their woke agenda.
"Our values remain the same as the day we began; we will continue to actively work to combat racism as we strive to build a more perfect union," foundation vice president Emily Bittner said.
Obama grabbed prime public parkland for pocket change, promised taxpayer protections he never funded, pushed discriminatory hiring practices, and watched costs explode by 158%.
Now Chicago taxpayers are stuck with the bill while Obama hires people based on ideology instead of merit.
That's the Obama legacy – broken promises wrapped in virtue signaling that regular Americans pay for.
Sources:
- Michael Dorgan, "Obama Presidential Center slammed for promoting 'far-left' agenda on public land," Fox News, January 11, 2026.
- "Obama Presidential Center deposits just $1M into $470M reserve fund aimed to protect taxpayers," Fox News, September 27, 2025.
- "Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing," The White House, January 20, 2025.
