Obama faces intense online trolling as people comment on the design of his new Presidential Center

The former President's $830 million landmark becomes the subject of internet humor

Barack Obama’s Presidential Center has been unveiled, and the internet wasted no time in humorously trolling the former US President.

After nearly a decade of planning, Obama’s Presidential Center, a vast 19-acre site in Chicago’s Jackson Park, is nearing completion. Scheduled to open in spring 2026, the center is designed to be a unique community hub, featuring a Chicago Public Library branch, gardens, playgrounds, and even a basketball court.

Privately managed by the Obama Foundation instead of the National Archives, the space is intended to celebrate civic engagement and collective action. The museum building, designed to resemble four hands coming together, features words from Obama’s speech on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches.

Critics have likened the towering design to various things, from trash bins to the Death Star

As highlighted by Word in Black, the site will feature a large lawn for outdoor movies and sledding, a fruit and vegetable garden named in honor of Eleanor Roosevelt, and a plaza dedicated to the late civil rights leader John Lewis.

While this appears quite wholesome, social media users had varied reactions to its unveiling.

This week, platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram buzzed with activity after new footage of the nearly finished structure circulated online. A simple post from Sen. Ted Cruz stating that ‘placing the Death Star in Chicago was a bold move’ quickly sparked a meme frenzy.

Users joined in, comparing the 225-foot-tall concrete-and-granite tower to various pop culture references and beyond.

As initially reported by the New York Post, one user quipped: “It’s an ‘obamanation’! Just like his presidency!” while another remarked: “It’s like someone built a Lego set without the instructions.”

Others got inventive with Photoshop, placing the building in scenes from Star Wars: complete with X-Wing fighters and AT-AT walkers, or topping it with the fiery Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings.

Some have even likened it to Easter Island heads and ordinary trash bins, with one comment calling it the ‘Litter Genie Plus Pail’.

To be fair, the center was never intended to resemble a traditional presidential library. It won’t contain physical records; instead, it will offer digital archives from Obama’s presidency, reflecting the increasingly digital nature of modern governance.

Nonetheless, this hasn’t prevented people from criticizing the design’s brutalist style.

Meanwhile, construction is ongoing, and the Obama Foundation remains committed to its mission. The center will also include leadership programs and spaces for local residents, featuring elements like the Hadiya Pendleton Atrium, in memory of a Chicago teen lost to gun violence, and a two-acre outdoor playground for families.