Obama Center opens as couple urges next leaders

On Friday, the Obama Presidential Center opened in Chicago as Barack and Michelle Obama—speaking together for the first time on network TV since leaving office in 2017—reflected on the country’s discouragement, their decision to step back from daily politics,

By the time the Obama Presidential Center opened on Friday in Chicago, Barack and Michelle Obama were already looking past the ceremonies.

Their first joint network television interview since leaving the White House in 2017 aired Wednesday on “Good Morning America. ” with Barack Obama telling Robin Roberts. “People are a little discouraged right now.” He did not deny the mood. Instead. he pointed to the cycles of American politics and what can rise after them. saying. “there’s going to be a younger generation that pops up and there are going to be leaders who pop up.”.

In the same conversation, he described how life after office has shaped his role in public life. Since leaving Washington. he has largely stayed out of public policy battles—seeing himself less as someone trying to steer every fight and more as someone trying to help prepare the next wave. “You pick and choose your spots. I’m not suggesting I’ve done it perfectly,” he said. Then he reached for a historical parallel, citing George Washington stepping away from politics after his time in office.

“He kind of said, ‘All right, I’ve done my stint. And now I’m going, you know, back home,’” Barack Obama said. He added. “I think Michelle. you know. very much would prefer a quieter life for us.” He also acknowledged the pushback that comes when public figures disappear from the spotlight. saying. “And on the other hand. there’ve been some folks who would like to see me out every day. right. banging the drum.”.

The couple’s message—steady. aimed at the future. grounded in what they built while in office—lands alongside the physical reality of the new campus. The Obama Presidential Center is in Chicago’s Jackson Park. just steps from the University of Chicago. and it spans 19 acres. It was built at a cost of $850 million and includes 3.7 acres of parkland. offices for the Obama Foundation. an auditorium for public events. public art and athletic facilities. and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Collaboration with the National Archives and Records Administration means the Obama presidential archives are fully digital. On the grounds, a 225-foot Museum Building tower rises above the campus, a visible marker of how the center intends to hold history in public view.

At the heart of the project is a four-story museum that places the Obama years inside a wider story of social change. It begins with the Declaration of Independence and moves through the civil rights and labor movements. then ties those eras to the grassroots political movement in Chicago that helped launch Barack Obama’s political ascent.

When Roberts asked what he considers the greatest accomplishment of his two terms in office. Barack Obama pointed to the passage of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010. He said it expanded Medicaid. provided greater consumer protections. and lowered health insurance costs—especially for households at or below the federal poverty level.

He argued that the law’s impact has endured beyond the politics of the day. saying. “For all the resistance from our political opposition. the Affordable Care Act has now helped 50. 60 million people. and continues to help people even though the current Congress has tried to weaken it and taken away some of the subsidies that were really helping a lot of working people.” He added. “I’m very proud of the message we sent to the country that we’re representing everybody.”.

Michelle Obama returned to the themes of inclusion and possibility, placing them against what she described as today’s harsh political environment. Despite the tension, she said the messages of “hope” and “change”—central to the campaign for his first term—are still possible.

“People just have to be fed up enough. They have to want more,” she said. “And I think the presidential center hopefully will remind people of just how close we are to moving this country in the direction that we want to move it in.”

The museum also includes an exhibit reflecting on the Obamas’ place as the first Black first family in the history of the United States. Michelle Obama said the display captures the moment when many believed it “could never happen. ” and she described what followed once the country accepted the reality.

“You have one exhibit where people thought that it could never happen, that a Black man, a Black family would never live in the White House. That America would never accept that,” she said. “And lo and behold, the whole country, you know, the vast majority of the country believe differently.”

As the center opens with democracy as its promise, Barack Obama also came back to the practical mechanics of disagreement: the vote. In times of conflict, he said Americans can focus on making their voices heard through elections—arguing, challenging, and then deciding at the ballot box.

“The premise of this country is everybody gets a right to say, ‘No, I don’t agree with that. I challenge that. No, Obama, I think you’re making a mistake,’ you know?” he said. “And then we have a conversation about it, and then it gets settled in an election. And if enough people decide I didn’t know what I was doing, then you move on to the next person.”.

The interview was part of the ABC News special “The Obama Legacy: First Joint Interview Post-White House,” which streams Thursday, June 18, on Disney+ and Hulu. ABC News is under The Walt Disney Co. parent company.

Obama Presidential Center Barack Obama Michelle Obama Affordable Care Act Chicago Jackson Park museum Obama Foundation National Archives digital archives Chicago Public Library