Fact check: President Trump built a skyscraper using private capital.

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 79/100

The Instagram post from @marcorubiohq accurately states that Trump Tower Chicago cost $847 million and the Obama Presidential Center cost approximately $850 million. confirmed by 6 sources including Wikipedia and Britannica. The claim that Trump's skyscraper was built with private capital is verified, and the Obama Presidential Center is indeed funded by donations with significant public resources for surrounding infrastructure. 6 reliable sources confirm criticisms of the Obama Presidential Center's cost, design, and community benefit. However, the post's assertion that Trump's skyscraper 'employs thousands' is not explicitly substantiated by current search results, and the overall framing exhibits strong political bias.

Platform
instagram
Source author
marcorubiohq — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZu_KaBurm0/?igsh=MWs5cGR0OXR4b2p4Zg==
Verified on
June 21, 2026
Verification ID
IyxruDBSTcOxwHSZUiwQUg

Original content reviewed

Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @marcorubiohq --- Caption/Description --- President Trump built a gleaming skyscraper with private capital that stands as a symbol of American enterprise, creates ongoing economic activity, employs thousands, and generates tax revenue for the city and state. It is a functional, world-class building that reflects ambition, excellence, and results. The Obama Presidential Center, on the other hand, is a government-backed project funded largely through donations and public resources that has drawn criticism for its cost, design, and limited tangible benefit to the surrounding community. This is the fundamental difference: one approach builds lasting value through private investment and accountability, while the other often results in expensive, politically symbolic projects that burden taxpayers with little return. Trump delivers projects that work in the real world. The contrast in outcomes couldn’t be clearer. --- On-Screen Text (OCR) --- Marco Rubio HQ @MarcoRubioHQ Both buildings cost about $847 MILLION. One built by Trump, the other by Obama. We are not the same! TRUMP Published: 2026-06-18T16:36:37.000Z ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @marcorubiohq --- Caption/Description --- President Trump built a gleaming skyscraper with private capital that stands as a symbol of American enterprise, creates ongoing economic activity, employs thousands, and generates tax revenue for the city and state. It is a functional, world-class building that reflects ambition, excellence, and results. The Obama Presidential Center, on the other hand, is a government-backed project funded largely through donations and public resources that has drawn criticism for its cost, design, and limited tangible benefit to the surrounding community. This is the fundamental difference: one approach builds lasting value through private investment and accountability, while the other often results in expensive, politically symbolic projects tha

Claims analyzed (5)

  1. verified: President Trump built a skyscraper using private capital.
    The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago was financed by a $650 million loan from Deutsche Bank and hedge funds, and a $130 million loan from Fortress Investment Management, a private equity company. This indicates private capital funding.
  2. mostly true: Trump's skyscraper creates economic activity, employs thousands, and generates tax revenue for the city and state.
    Trump Tower Chicago continues to attract buyers and investors, contributing to economic activity. It also generates property taxes for the city and state, although there have been disputes over tax bills. However, specific evidence that the skyscraper directly 'employs thousands' was not found in the search results; general tourism in Chicago creates many jobs, but not specifically from this one building.
  3. mostly true: The Obama Presidential Center is a government-backed project funded largely through donations and public resources.
    The Obama Presidential Center is run by the privately funded Obama Foundation, primarily through donations. However, significant public resources, estimated at $175 million, are being used for surrounding infrastructure improvements, making it a mix of private donations and government-backed public resources.
  4. verified: The Obama Presidential Center has drawn criticism for its cost, design, and limited tangible benefit to the surrounding community.
    The Obama Presidential Center has faced extensive criticism for its escalating cost, which ballooned to $850 million. Its design has been called 'ominous' and a 'boulder in a park'. Locals have also expressed concerns about displacement and rising rents, questioning the tangible benefits to the community.
  5. verified: A skyscraper built by Trump and the Obama Presidential Center both cost approximately $847 million.
    The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago cost $847 million. The Obama Presidential Center is estimated to have cost approximately $850 million. The figures are very close, supporting the claim of 'about $847 million' for both.

Sources consulted (15)

Related verifications

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