Ground was broken on 13 November 2013, and the building opened to the public on 13 December 2017. US President Donald Trump had been expected to visit in February 2018 to undertake the official opening of the new embassy, but in January 2018 announced he would not make the trip. Trump publicly criticized the cost of the new embassy and its location, as well as the apparent price received for the sale of the lease of the building in Grosvenor Square, blaming the administration of his predecessor, Barack Obama, for making what he referred to as a "bad deal". However, the decision to move the embassy was made before the Obama administration.