Fact check: Chicago is moving to rename the street in front of Trump Tower "Barack Hussein Obama Way."

Verdict: mostly true — Trust Score 68/100

The social media post accurately states that Wabash Avenue is the street where Trump Tower is located in Chicago. An alderman has indeed introduced an ordinance to give Wabash Avenue an honorary designation for Barack Obama, and an online petition supporting this effort has grown to over 22,000 signatures. However, the post's claim that Chicago is officially "moving to rename" the street is an exaggeration, as the process is still in its early stages and faces significant hurdles, as confirmed by 5 sources.

Platform
threads
Source author
etanthomas36 — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.threads.com/@etanthomas36/post/DZztrm5HNDB?xmt=AQG0Tb9QXtZZy2DdmyS-U_edR0EvWisIAGNUNBBtGITw64zwgda0gnLiZvw5q1L2JGbdOYaB
Verified on
June 21, 2026
Verification ID
Kd8-49aVKkS2By0rB9b8LA

Original content reviewed

Platform: THREADS Author: @etanthomas36 --- Caption/Description --- “YES: Chicago is not playing around. They are moving to rename the street in front of Trump Tower “Barack Hussein Obama Way.” A Chicago alderman introduced the ordinance this week to give Wabash Avenue — the street that runs directly through Trump Tower — an honorary designation for Barack Obama. The push came from the people: an online petition grew from 700 signatures to over 22,000 in days. --- On-Screen Text (OCR) --- N TRUMP YES THEY CAN Chicago moves to rename Trump Tower street “Barack Hussein Obama Way” NOTICE NEWS ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: THREADS Author: @etanthomas36 --- Caption/Description --- “YES: Chicago is not playing around. They are moving to rename the street in front of Trump Tower “Barack Hussein Obama Way.” A Chicago alderman introduced the ordinance this week to give Wabash Avenue — the street that runs directly through Trump Tower — an honorary designation for Barack Obama. The push came from the people: an online petition grew from 700 signatures to over 22,000 in days. --- Visible Text/Media --- News graphic with text 'TRUMP', 'YES THEY CAN', 'Chicago moves to rename Trump Tower street “Barack Hussein Obama Way”', and 'NOTICE NEWS'. --- Claims to Verify --- 1. Chicago is moving to rename the street in front of Trump Tower "Barack Hussein Obama Way." 2. A Chicago alderman introduced an ordinance this week to give Wabash Avenue an honorary designation for Barack Obama. 3. Wabash Avenue is the street that runs directly through Trump Tower in Chicago. 4. An online petition supporting the renaming grew from 700 signatures to over 22,000 in days. --- Verification Focus --- Chicago Trump Tower street renaming Barack Obama ordinance Chicago alderman Wabash Avenue Obama honorary designation Wabash Avenue Trump Tower Chicago online petition rename Trump Tower street Obama Chicago signatures Chicago street renaming ordinance fact check Snopes PolitiFact

Claims analyzed (4)

  1. misleading: Chicago is moving to rename the street in front of Trump Tower "Barack Hussein Obama Way."
    While there is a strong public petition and an alderman has introduced an ordinance, sources indicate that a formal renaming by the city is not a confirmed action and faces significant hurdles. The phrasing 'moving to rename' suggests a more advanced and official process than what has actually occurred.
  2. verified: A Chicago alderman introduced an ordinance this week to give Wabash Avenue an honorary designation for Barack Obama.
    The Daily Beast reported on June 18, 2026, that City Alderman Brendan Reilly introduced an ordinance to rename the street. This aligns with the 'this week' timeframe.
  3. verified: Wabash Avenue is the street that runs directly through Trump Tower in Chicago.
    Multiple sources confirm that Trump Tower is located at 401 N Wabash Ave in Chicago.
  4. mostly true: An online petition supporting the renaming grew from 700 signatures to over 22,000 in days.
    A Change.org petition, created on May 4, had 'close to 500' signatures by May 27, over 13,400 by June 4, and over 22,000 by June 16-19, reaching 23,771 by June 17. While the starting point of '700' isn't exact, the rapid growth to over 22,000 is confirmed, though the timeframe 'in days' is a slight exaggeration as it took a few weeks.

Sources consulted (11)

Related verifications

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