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As if Chicago community organizers haven’t offered enough criticism of
the troubled Obama Presidential Center rising in what used to be
cherished green space, now the project is getting a harsh new critique
from Washington.

Phillip Bailey reports for USA Today that while meeting with Canadian
Prime Minister Mark Carney today, President Donald Trump was discussing
the difficulties of construction and “took a detour” to discuss the
massive project in the Windy City’s historic Jackson Park. Mr. Bailey
quotes Mr. Trump:

“President Obama – and if he wanted help, I’d give him help because
I’m a really good builder and I build on time, on budget – he’s
building his library in Chicago, and it’s a disaster,” Trump said.

But it’s not an official presidential library managed by the National >Archives, which means that Mr. Trump probably can’t do much to help
unless Mr. Obama invites him to join the effort to get the project on
track. Mr. Bailey notes:

The Obama Presidential Center is an ambitious 19-acre project being
built as a tribute to the former president in the heart of a South
Side neighborhood. The construction is about halfway complete,
according to the former president’s foundation, but it has been
besieged by significant delays and has gone well over budget.

Its initial cost of $350 million, has ballooned to $830 million. The
center was originally supposed to open in 2021, but last year
officials announced it wouldn’t be open to the public until 2026.

Some say that Mr. Trump doesn’t know the particulars of many policy
issues he discusses. But in this case he is a legitimate expert, not just
as a developer of large urban properties but specifically as the
successful renovator and manager of a treasured part of a landmark city >park—Wollman Rink in New York’s Central Park.

What could be better for the nation’s politics—and for the citizens of >Chicago—than for these two partisan opponents to collaborate in making
the Obama center the gold standard of park construction?

Trump is the only developer anyone cares about.

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