Tens of thousands of people have signed an online petition seeking to add former President Barack Obama’s name to the address of Trump Tower in Chicago.
The Change.org petition urges city officials to rename Wabash Avenue “Barack Hussein Obama Ave.” The downtown thoroughfare is home to Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, a 92-story skyscraper and one of the Trump Organization’s key properties.
“For many of us living on the southwest side of Chicago, the daily challenges we face are growing,” organizer Bryce Jones wrote in the petition. “We are grappling with increased living costs and punitive policies. Under the current administration, I, like many others, felt the harsh realities of life under stringent immigration policies, with ICE raids affecting our community deeply. And now, with rising gas prices because of a failed vanity war…”
Adding the former Democratic president’s name to the road “would send a small message about the values we uphold as a city, those of inclusivity, resilience, and forward-thinking change,” Jones added.
He called on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and city council members to give serious consideration to the rebranding proposal, which he said would immortalize “small acts of resistance in our cityscape.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition had garnered 23,304 verified signatures and over 100 comments, many of which praised Obama, who recently opened his 20-acre presidential center in his hometown.
“I never once had health insurance until the [Affordable Care Act]. Which to a disabled person was life changing,” one commenter wrote. “My family and I are ever grateful.”
Others appeared to relish the idea of irritating President Donald Trump.
“Imagine Trump being mad about this and making a huge deal about it,” one chimed in. “I would sleep happily knowing he’s upset about this.”
The Independent has contacted the Trump Organization for comment.
Trump Tower, a hotel and luxury condo building, has long served as a focal point for protests in Chicago, a liberal stronghold where former Vice President Kamala Harris captured roughly three-quarters of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.
Since then, multiple “No Kings” demonstrations have taken place near the skyscraper with protesters carrying signs opposing ICE raids and National Guard deployments, and calling for Trump’s impeachment.
Trump has a long and contentious relationship with the Windy City, repeatedly condemning it as plagued by “out of control” crime and led by “grossly incompetent” officials. Last year, Trump deployed hundreds of ICE agents to Chicago, where federal officers carried out more than 1,000 arrests.
For Chicago’s leaders, the hostility is mutual. Last year, Mayor Johnson derided Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard there as “illegal and costly.” He’s also labeled Trump “unhinged” and “deranged.”
Despite his opposition to the president, Johnson could face a steep uphill battle in pushing through the street renaming.
Permanent street name changes are rare and require approval from both the mayor and city council. The most recent example came in 2021, when “Outer Lake Shore Drive” was renamed “Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive,” The Chicago Tribune reported.
Honorary street designations are far more common. In the first half of 2025 alone, 24 Chicago streets received honorary names. However, living individuals are not eligible for such designations, according to USA Today.
