Star power meets politics at the Obama Center opening
Chicago's Obama Presidential Center opened with a star-studded crowd—Oprah, The Roots, Stevie Wonder and Colbert among celebrities; Merkel, Trudeau and top U.S. leaders including Biden, Harris, Clinton and Bush were introduced on stage—while the event also highlighted potential 2028 contenders and underscored that the center is privately run, not a National Archives library; Trump did not attend, and a CNN poll showed Obama as the most popular living president.