Despite having been out of office for a decade, the media was still more than happy to turn all cameras towards former President Barack Obama once more. The grand opening of his new presidential center in Chicago brought myriad news companies to the site. On Friday’s Today, a segment on the Obama Presidential Center included a gooey interview between the former president and NBC co-anchor Craig Melvin.
Melvin would open the discussion by giving Obama an open ended question to pontificate about how profound visiting the Center would be for the public:
MELVIN: When the Obama Presidential Center opens, those first ticket holders who come into this space, what are you going to be feeling in that moment?
OBAMA: So I'll feel a lot of gratitude, the degree to which people invested in Michelle and me and what we are trying to do. But I really am hoping that it's less an act of nostalgia and that it's more an inspiration for us moving forward. To get a sense of, all right, this was a small chapter in America's ongoing journey to perfect this union.
Obama says he wants the "Obamalisk" to be more than just a place of nostalgia, that he wants to inspire future generations. They then proceed to spend the rest of the interview reveling in the nostalgia of the Obama era. Ironic. pic.twitter.com/bz8FgxbHJr
— James Waterman (@jwatermaniv) June 19, 2026
Sounding very much like a real estate or travel agent, Melvin rattled off what visitors could experience: “It features a 225-foot-tall tower housing the Obama presidential museum, a public forum, a vegetable garden, plus green spaces and a branch of the Chicago public library where we spoke.”
The NBC journalist made sure to share with the former president how impressed he was with the facility:
MELVIN: I've walked the property, walked the space, six or seven stories, like, 19 acres south side of Chicago, more than $108 million. There are presidential libraries and then there's this.
OBAMA: I didn't want to build -- I didn't want to build a mausoleum. I'm too young for that. I really did want to think of this as a center, a hub, for the next generation being inspired, motivated, but also getting help and getting resources to carry that baton further.
In a twist of irony, immediately after Obama expressed his fears of the center becoming a nostalgic pilgrimage site, Craig Melvin begins to reminisce about the “good old days” during the Obama administration.
Falling into the very trap Obama hoped to avoid the two began to discuss the political sphere during the Obama days, Michelle Obama’s role during his presidency, and eventually, Obama’s love of sports:
Something else near and dear to the former president's heart, sports. One of his favorite exhibits includes the unique memorabilia he's collected over the years. He actually had custom high tops that he wore while he played basketball at the White House.
Obama can say this facility is not about nostalgia, but the liberal news networks can't help but cling to their pre-Trump memories when he was president.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to view.
NBC Today
June 19, 2026
07:31:32 AM Eastern
(...)
CRAIG MELVIN: When the Obama Presidential Center opens, those first ticket holders who come into this space, what are you going to be feeling in that moment?
BARACK OBAMA: So, I'll feel a lot of gratitude, the degree to which people invested in Michelle and me and what we are trying to do. But I really am hoping that it's less an act of nostalgia and that it's more an inspiration for us moving forward. To get a sense of, all right, this was a small chapter in America's ongoing journey to perfect this union.
MELVIN: The Obama Presidential Center sprawls across Jackson Park on Chicago's south side just blocks from where Michelle Obama grew up in the city where Barack Obama's political career was born. It features a 225-foot-tall tower housing the Obama Presidential Museum, a public forum, a vegetable garden, plus green spaces and a branch of the Chicago Public Library where we spoke.
I've walked the property, walked the space, six or seven stories, like, 19 acres south side of Chicago—
OBAMA: Right.
MELVIN: —more than $108 million. There are presidential libraries and then there's this.
OBAMA: I didn't want to build—I didn't want to build a mausoleum.
MELVIN: Yeah.
OBAMA: I'm too young for that. I really did want to think of this as a center, a hub, for the next generation being inspired, motivated, but also getting help and getting resources to carry that baton further.
07:38:14 AM
MELVIN: Something else near and dear to the former president's heart: sports. One of his favorite exhibits includes the unique memorabilia he's collected over the years. He actually had custom high tops that he wore while he played basketball at the White House. Known to shoot a few hoops himself during his time in office, his center even includes an NBA regulation-size basketball court, so it was no surprise to hear he was glued to the recent NBA Finals.
