Michelle Obama: 'Barack's Presidential Library Could Have Been Anywhere in the World'

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said former President Barack Obama’s presidential library “could have been anywhere in the world” but they chose Jackson Park in Chicago because of its connection to their lives.

“Just like Barack and I don’t do things incidentally, I mean, there’s a strategy. Barack’s presidential library could have been anywhere in the world because there’s so many people who feel like he is their president — all over the world, all right? So, New York wanted it. Hawaii wants it, because it’s also an economic engine. It will be a visited presidential library because it’s going to be alive. It’s a first,” Obama said at the Obama Foundation Summit this week.

“We had to think: where do we put this resource? Because it will be a resource. But what better place to put it then in our backyard? Jackson Park is like that juxtaposition of everything in our lives,” she added.

Describing why Jackson Park is the best location for the Obama Presidential Center, Obama said that locals should trust that “Barack and I wouldn’t bring some crap up in our neighborhood.”