Former President Barack Obama is selling some unsightly trinkets shaped like his presidential center.
Much has been discussed about the Obama Presidential Center, specifically the strange design choice that has been under scrutiny since the beginning of the project. Now, the presidential library is offering pins that “capture the silhouette” of the building for a whopping $30 a piece. The pin is described as representing “the intersection of bold design and global leadership” and is “handcrafted from unfired paper clay.”
Look:
X users are just not that into the merch:
Because nothing says ‘hope and change’ like wearing a controversial Chicago eyesore on your lapel
— Barbara (@bat52301) May 5, 2026
That thing in the lower left corner looks like a badly designed urinal.
— Steven M. Lopez (MAGA and Trump are back!) (@morethanrightco) May 6, 2026
There were various architectural designs in Star Wars & he picks one out like a Sith Lord would. Because that’s what he was basically. What an a**.
— Ben Sk8in (@ben_sk8in44) May 6, 2026
But if you are wondering whether Obama had any say in the strange shape of what some are calling a “Death Star” inspired center, his own architects revealed the truth.
From the New York Post:
It was designed for Obama by Billie Tsien and Tod Williams, who recently revealed the design “very much a product of his vision as well as ours” after the former president repeatedly pressed them to make the design as “bold” as possible.
“He was saying we should up our ante,” Williams told the New Yorker. “He drew on one of my drawings, made a strong mark, which indicated that he didn’t think I was being bold enough.”
At one point the ex-president urged the architects to emulate the work of Constantin Brancusi, a Romanian modernist sculptor known for his simple yet mind-bending creations.
Williams said that direction made him realize Obama wanted the building “to be seen as an art piece and not just as architecture.”
Some wondered why the final design was ultimately selected when it’s nothing like the surrounding architecture, making it stand out like a sore thumb.
That thing is an obamination
— ripper mcgoo (@ripper_mcgoo) May 6, 2026
That must be the ugliest Presidential Library.
— Raquel
(@RaquelRktgirl1) May 6, 2026
They couldn’t figure out a way to get a whole word on there without part of it going around the corner ? Seriously looks SLOPPY and the building looks like a High Tech Security Prison
— #MeMyself&EyeRolls (@LisaE333) May 6, 2026
Imagine that cheap, hideous architectural monstrosity caps off your legacy. Truly the Emperor’s New Clothes…
— GoatsHeadSoup (@BryanGo68296993) May 6, 2026
