After the Obama Presidential Center’s opening on Thursday was met with loving coverage from most news outlets, Friday’s Morning Joe joined in fawning over the event. MS NOW reporter Nnamdi Egwuonwu called the event “jubilant” and even said he was “heartbroken” when he found tickets were sold out. Co-host Willie Geist continued the love fest and was joined by Rev. Al Sharpton and fellow co-host Jonathan Lemire, who related the event to Juneteenth. Geist introduced the segment and stated, “President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered speeches focused on shared American values that transcend party politics.”   On Morning Joe, MSNOW's Nnamdi Egwuonwu fawned over the "jubilant" Obama Center Opening. In response to Obama's subtle jabs, like the importance of "independent judiciary," he said it was among "things that we know with this administration have felt like they're under attack" pic.twitter.com/V9iuTDW3rG — Nick (@nspin310) June 19, 2026   Egwuonwu then reported live from the Obama Center and called the entire ceremony “jubilant, to say the least.” He was also enamored with the star power at the event, as he listed attendees like “Stephen Colbert, who we know has sparred with President Trump.” He continued his love of the Obama speeches and agreed with the sentiment of a portion regarding the importance of things “like a peaceful transfer of power, free and fair elections, an independent judiciary.” He added that, “all things that we know with this administration have felt like they're under attack.”   After Egwuonwu proclaimed he was heartbroken to hear Obama Center tickets had been sold out, Willie Geist started his own fawning over the event, as Geist said it was a "contrast to what we've been hearing for the past decade." Sharpton then said Obama showed he was "humble."… pic.twitter.com/vnvoszmpxf — Nick (@nspin310) June 19, 2026   Before he turned the show back over to Geist, Egwuonwu lamented, “But to my personal heartbreak, tickets are sold out for that museum and through November, which is just another sign of the excitement that's being felt here.” Geist followed and talked about the “contrast” of the ceremony to the past decade, an ode to the Trump era: It does strike you, watching former President Obama especially, speak publicly, the contrast to what we've been hearing for the last decade. There were no grievances. There were no petty insults. There were no threats. There was no looking back on things he thought should have been different or the way he should have been treated(...) Sharpton agreed, “President Obama not only did not have grievances and blame, he even said he made mistakes. And it was a real contrast to the present occupant of the White House that he was humble.”   In continuation of Morning Joe's Obama Center love, Jonathan Lemire framed a question to Sharpton that focused on the center's opening on Juneteenth weekend as part of an "injection of hope" that "the page could be turned on the Trump era." Sharpton then compared the freedom of… https://t.co/v0LRY1eM6z pic.twitter.com/0PAH1yDXa6 — Nick (@nspin310) June 19, 2026   Lemire then asked Sharpton a question that framed the Obama ceremony to the Juneteenth holiday and a “hope” that “the page could be turned from the Trump era.” Sharpton responded with a seeming comparison of Juneteenth and the freedom of slaves to the impending possible end of the Trump era: Juneteenth was when slaves in Texas did not know they were free until two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. And the Union army went in and said, ‘you're free.’ And I think it was that kind of combination of saying, we're free to fight people like Trump.  We cannot act as though we're weak and don't have an ability to confront this. We're not going to be bullied. And that monument in Obama's name, unveiled yesterday, does that. From a reporter who left NBC News in the Versant divorce in order to stay with the now clearly progressive network, to all of Morning Joe fawning over the Obama center, MS NOW really could not contain themselves in their framing of Obama as an idol to their viewers. The transcript is below. Click "expand": MS NOW’s Morning Joe June 19, 2026 6:48:24 AM Eastern (...) WILLIE GEIST: Former presidents Biden, George W. Bush, and Clinton all in attendance, while former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered speeches focused on shared American values that transcend party politics. (...) 6:52:34 AM Eastern NNAMDI EGWUONWU: Well, you know, that ceremony yesterday was jubilant, to say the least. It was also a reminder of the political and cultural weight the Obamas still hold. Seeing the likes of not just all the former living presidents, but also 2028 contenders like Josh Shapiro, Gavin Newsom, the former Vice President Kamala Harris. Also, several celebrities: David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, who we know has sparred with President Trump. The performances we saw: Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera. It's a reminder of just how much Obama meant to the thousands of people who came here, but also the cultural figures that were in the room.  The capstone, though, was, of course, those speeches from the Obamas, which included subtle and sometimes not so subtle references to the current president. Michelle Obama, for her part, describing immigrants as the beating heart of America, saying that no one has the right to judge who is more American than the other. Also praising her husband for always letting science lead his decisions. You know, the former president, during his remarks emphasizing the importance of things like a peaceful transfer of power, a free and fair elections and independent judiciary, all things that we know with this administration have felt like they're under attack. Though the core of the remarks from both of the Obamas, though, was that they want this center, this museum, to serve as a source of hope and inspiration for not just for the country, but also specifically Chicago and the south side, an area that historically has faced social and financial economic challenges for the residents of the south side that I spoke to, that message meant a lot and carried weight.  (...) 6:54:50 AM Eastern EGWUONWU: So, the bulk of the 19 acres that this campus sits on will open to the public in about 15 minutes here. People will be able to access the big park that they renovated, that basketball court, the public library that's on the campus. The museum opens at ten.  But to my personal heartbreak, tickets are sold out for that museum and through November, which is just another sign of the excitement that's being felt here. We still expect thousands to come here today. And ultimately, the center says they expect upwards of 600,000 people to visit this museum every year. GEIST: MS NOW’s Nnamdi Egwuonwu live for us from Chicago this morning. Nnamdi, thanks so much.  Joining us now, the host of PoliticsNation on MS NOW, reverend Al Sharpton. He's the president of the National Action Network. He attended yesterday's grand opening and dedication of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Rev, great to see you. I'm interested to hear your thoughts from the day. It does strike you, watching former President Obama especially, speak publicly, the contrast to what we've been hearing for the last decade. There were no grievances. There were no petty insults. There were no threats. There was no looking back on things he thought should have been different or the way he should have been treated. He's talking about a grand vision of the country. What did you see at that ceremony yesterday? REV. AL SHARPTON: President Obama not only did not have grievances and blame, he even said he made mistakes. And it was a real contrast to the present occupant of the White House that he was humble.  He came to a community that he said he first drove from New York when he was a student at Columbia and moved to Chicago rght on that corner. His wife, Michelle, who made I think probably the speech of the day, was born and raised there on the South Side, which is a mostly black working-class community. I know it well as I was a protege of Reverend Jesse Jackson, whose building - his office is only about three blocks from there, so I know the area.  They did not only build this huge 19-acre edifice, they built it in the middle of the South Side. So, people that would say, ‘well, I don't know if I've got a fair share in life. Where can I go? Where can I plan? I have no hope,’ will look at that edifice and say, ‘yes, I can be somebody. Look at what Michelle and Barack, who came from around the corner, became the President of the United States, First Lady of the United States. And as she mentioned, also Nobel Prize winner, which was another veiled shot at President Trump. And I think that that was important. And it is an economic engine. Imagine the jobs that they're providing right there on those 19 acres, and then the tourism that it brings in. So, it was a win-win, and it contrasts the present president.    And it was interesting to me that on this day that President Trump yesterday was having to try to explain what he did with his deal and Iran, which fell far short of what he promised and really weakened a lot of relations with Israel. He had attacked Obama for the deal Obama made, and he was having a bad day, worst day of his international aspect of presidency while Obama was being raised back up. It was a contrast that I couldn't resist thinking about sitting there as one of the. JONATHAN LEMIRE: Yeah, certainly Trump remains obsessed with Obama.  So, Rev., obviously president Obama and the First Lady mean so much to so many people. And, in particular, for the black community in the United States, the opening of the center was timed for Juneteenth weekend. You know, but this is certainly - I think there are a lot of people in your community, you speak about this a lot, who feel very disillusioned and disheartened right now because of the rollbacks, because of voting rights, because we've seen from the Supreme Court and the policies from this administration. Do you think that this is a moment where the opening of this and talking about this again could inject more hope for the things could change - the page could be turned on the Trump era. SHARPTON: I think it absolutely does, because what it does is, yes, there's a lot of despair, a lot of discouragement, particularly in the black community and brown communities. But this opening reminds us, but wait a minute, we beat these kind of forces before. We elected and reelected a black president. What are we talking about what we can't do?  And Obama represents that ‘Yes, we can ' spirit. And for that to be front and center again on Juneteenth weekend. Juneteenth was when slaves in Texas did not know they were free until two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. And the Union army went in and said, ‘You're free.’ And I think it was that kind of combination of saying, we're free to fight people like Trump.  We cannot act as though we're weak and don't have an ability to confront this. We're not going to be bullied. And that monument in Obama's name unveiled yesterday, does that. (...)