Former US president Barack Obama dedicated his $850 million presidential library and museum in Chicago on Thursday, drawing a star-studded crowd of former presidents, world leaders and celebrities to the South Side lakefront park. The seven-hectare Obama Presidential Center, featuring sports fields and youth spaces, was inaugurated in a ceremony that also saw the surprise appearance of Germany’s former chancellor Angela Merkel, who received a standing ovation.

The event capped years of planning and construction, with every living former US president in attendance: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama himself, alongside their spouses. Among the Hollywood guests were Bruce Springsteen and Tom Hanks. The ceremony was broadcast live as a “win-win” for the United States, according to remarks captured in the Guardian’s live coverage .

Vice-president JD Vance, also present, hailed what he described as immediate dividends from President Donald Trump’s Iran policy, citing 12.5 million barrels passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night and US gasoline prices dipping below four dollars for the first time since the regional conflict flared. “He calls the situation a win-win for the US,” the Guardian noted .

Merkel’s unannounced arrival underscored the symbolic weight of the occasion. German and international media highlighted her presence as a bridge between transatlantic eras, with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung running a live ticker under the headline “USA under Trump: Merkel surprises Obama at museum opening” . The Tagesspiegel reported “standing ovations” for Merkel as she joined Obama on stage , while the Handelsblatt noted her status as a “familiar guest of honour” at the ceremony .

The Obama Presidential Center, set on seven acres of parkland, includes sports facilities and dedicated spaces for young people. Italian newspaper La Repubblica described the complex as “a monument costing 850 million dollars” and listed the full roster of former White House occupants in attendance . German outlets Die Zeit and Zeit Online likewise emphasised the bipartisan turnout and Merkel’s symbolic role .

The inauguration unfolded against a backdrop of sharp political contrasts. The Independent reported that Trump administration officials had removed more than fifty exhibits from national parks because they referenced slavery, civil rights and climate change, calling restoration “herculean and unmanageable” . Meanwhile, Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva publicly urged Trump not to interfere in Brazil’s elections during a White House meeting with Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, stressing that “Brazilian elections are a problem for Brazil” .

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Articles

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theguardian · 15 days ago

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