The Department of Government Efficiency canceled the lease for the site of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois, the UK Daily Mail reported. This news comes as divorce rumors swirl about former President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama.
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has been heading up DOGE's efforts to streamline the government. One of those undertakings deemed wasteful was Barack Obama's planned legacy project, which cost $1.4 million annually in rent since 2016.
The site northwest of Chicago was home to many artifacts from the Obama administration, including dresses worn by the former first lady, a jewel-encrusted sword and scabbard gifted from Saudi Arabia, and a baseball signed by the 2010 San Francisco Giants who won the World Series that year. It also included his infamous silver BlackBerry device Barack Obama used while president.
The National Archives and Records Administration was in charge of the building and contents at Hoffman Estates where the center is being built. The collection will now be stored permanently in College Park, Maryland, and will be on loan to the Obama Presidential Center periodically when it opens next year.
Although the building was slated to be closed before DOGE set to eliminate it, this news comes at a tumultuous time for the Obamas. Rumors have been swirling about an impending divorce for the former first couple, and recent events only underscore that concern.
Michelle Obama was noticeably absent during the state funeral for the late President Jimmy Carter earlier this year. Then, on Wednesday, Barack Obama attended a Los Angeles Clippers game without his wife.
Although he was well-received by the crowd, it didn't go unnoticed that he was not with Michelle Obama again for another highly public event. Political commentator Dom Lucre posted on X, formerly Twitter, how this fueled speculation about the demise of their marriage.
"Former President Obama just ignited more divorce rumors after he was spotted at a Los Angeles Clippers basketball game without his wife Michelle Obama. This comes after a report that Obama has been staying with his ‘best friend’ Martin Nesbitt in preparation for their new $18M mansion in Hawaii," he wrote Thursday.
🔥🚨BREAKING: Former President Obama just ignited more divorce rumors after her was spotted at a Los Angeles Clippers basketball game without his wife Michelle Obama. This comes after a report that Obama has been staying with his ‘best friend’ Martin Nesbitt in preparation for… pic.twitter.com/9wVJ1ZhIik
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 6, 2025
Whether or not the Obamas' marriage is on the rocks, the former president's legacy project seems to have been doomed from the start. According to Fox News, cost overages and a race-based lawsuit have caused significant delays as it limps toward opening in 2026.
The 19.3-acre site was slated to cost $350 million to build out for the project. Though no firm public figures exist, an analysis of the 2021 annual report shows it has ballooned to be $830 million. Moreover, the project suffers from the same flaw that sunk Barack Obama's legacy: racial strife.
The former president envisioned the project as a grand stage for diversity, equity, and inclusion that was a focus of his. Instead, it has resulted in a huge price tag, including a $40.75 million lawsuit from a minority-owned contractor over changes to concrete work.
The lawsuit claims engineering company Thornton Tomasetti did so to racially discriminate against the contractor. Thornton Tomasetti insists it was necessary after subpar work and that it "bent over backwards to assist what everyone knows was a questionably qualified subcontractor team in areas where a more qualified subcontractor would not have required it."
It's sad to watch the Obamas possibly break up their marriage while the former president's legacy suffers under the weight of his terrible philosophies. However, it's true that we all reap what we sow, whether peasant or president.
