The White House is criticizing the cost of the Obama Presidential Center ahead of the grand opening
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The White House focused on former President Barack Obama ahead of Friday’s grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center, comparing President Donald Trump’s administration plans to the 44th president’s.
“President Trump continues to carry out long-overdue and necessary reconstruction to beautify Washington, DC, and our nation’s treasured monuments as we approach our 250th anniversary of independence. Thanks to the Great Builder, these projects are completed on time and under budget – a stark contrast to the administration of the White House and the mismanaged White House under Obama,” Obama told Fox News Digital when asked for comment. the museum.
President Obama’s center, which opens to the public on Friday after a decade of planning and construction, has faced scrutiny for rising costs, construction delays and spending on public infrastructure. The White House has held back that criticism as Trump promotes a series of renovation and construction projects.
“President Trump is making sure that our nation’s capital will be properly respected and preserved in its best condition for generations to come,” added Ingle.
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An aerial view shows the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side. The facility includes a museum tower, public gathering spaces, sports facilities and the offices of the Obama Foundation. (Fox News Flight Team)
The Obama Presidential Center Dedication held on Thursday featured the execution of former officials, officials and celebrities such as former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Oprah, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, and Steven Spielberg.
Taxpayers have received hundreds of millions of dollars in public infrastructure costs for the Obama administration building roads, transit, and utility upgrades across the region.
Total construction costs are reported to be $830 million by 2021 and are likely to rise past the $1 billion mark.
A recent investigation by Fox News Digital identified many construction firms claiming losses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to tens of millions.
SUBCONTRACTORS SAY BILLIONS IN OWE, FACED IN FINANCIAL DAMAGE, AFTER HELPING BUILD OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL INSTITUTE.
Former President Barack Obama outlines features of the proposed Obama Presidential Center during a meeting at the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois, on May 3, 2017. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Trump has been on a mission to fulfill last year’s executive order titled, “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.”
“I will take care of our precious Capital, and we will make it, indeed, GREATER! Before the tents, squalor, dirt, and crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the world. Soon it will be,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post in August.
Obama, along with Democratic officials, took on Trump about his renewal of the 250 projects in Washington, DC, the White House and America 250, criticizing them as useless.
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“Thanks to the Great Builder, these projects were completed on time and under budget – a stark contrast to the flawed, overspending and under-delivered Obama administration.” (Scott Olson via Getty Images; Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump is “focused on serious issues like opening the Rose Garden so people don’t get mud on their shoes, and gold plating the Oval Office and building a $300 million ballroom,” Obama said during a meeting in October.
Trump directed the addition of stone pavers in October to the Rose Garden lawn, a change designed to better accommodate press conferences and ceremonial events. There has also been construction at the White House as workers build the ballroom which is expected to be done before 2028.
“It’s a shame that Trump is building his lavish playroom while working families struggle to get basic food for the holidays,” wrote former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
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Trump previously said that the future White House Ballroom will not only be an event space, but will serve as a strong security structure designed to support presidential functions and large gatherings.
He also planned the installation of the Memorial Circle 250-foot arch for America’s 250th birthday to be made of gold.
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“Your taxes may be going up. But don’t worry – at least $15 million will go to Trump’s big project,” wrote the press office of the California Gov. Gavin Newsom on X.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
