Barack Obama

Stories

Obama Presidential Center opens on Chicago's South Side

As of June 2026: Spoke at the June 18 dedication; chairs the Obama Foundation board

The Obama Presidential Center opened to the public on June 19, 2026, on a 19.3-acre site in Chicago's Jackson Park. The roughly $830 million campus had been argued over since 2015.

Updated Jun 19

U.S. government moves toward releasing UFO and UAP records

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Clarified podcast remarks on extraterrestrial life

For nearly eight decades, the United States government has investigated reports of unidentified objects in its airspace while keeping most of its findings classified. On February 19, 2026, Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and federal agency heads to identify and release government files on UAPs, UFOs, and extraterrestrial life — the broadest UFO transparency directive ever issued.

Updated May 29

Notable Quotes

"This is more than a museum. It's a place to gather, to learn, and to take action," Obama said of the campus.

from Obama Presidential Center opens on Chicago's South Side · Updated Jun 19

"They're real but I haven't seen them." — Podcast interview with Brian Tyler Cohen, February 2026

from U.S. government moves toward releasing UFO and UAP records · Updated May 29

"The distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we've been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us." — Clarification statement, February 16, 2026

from U.S. government moves toward releasing UFO and UAP records · Updated May 29