Midterms 2026 · Report · File No. 261027-933
White House hits back at Obama's Cheesecake Factory jab as midterms near
President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent answered former President Barack Obama's mockery of the White House renovations, turning a one-liner into a closing-week fight seven days before the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Every quote in this story (1) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
The White House is publicly answering former President Barack Obama's joke that President Donald Trump has the White House "looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," turning a one-liner into a campaign-week dispute seven days before the Nov. 3 midterm election 12.
Obama made the remark at a Saturday rally campaigning for Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, both Democrats 12. He listed Trump's changes to the White House, including a new ballroom, a helipad on the South Lawn and gold decorations, and said, "I don't know if you've noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations" 12.
Trump responded Monday before traveling to Mississippi, defending the work and criticizing his predecessor. "I've taken care of the White House," he said. "I fixed it with the finest artisans in the world" 1. He added: "For you to say it's a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president" 1.
At a campaign stop in Mississippi, Trump said Obama "wouldn't understand" the renovations and that "the White House represents our country, and has to be pristine" 2.
From Channel GOPObama: billionaire paid Trump's lawyer, then got pardonedBarack Obama · 195 plays · captioned, with the source named
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined in Monday by eating at a Cheesecake Factory near the White House and criticizing the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. "This is the man who built the museum [that] looks like Darth Vader's tomb," Bessent told a Fox Business reporter 3. He said he ordered "what I always have: the French Dip Cheeseburger" and recommended the "Cheeseburger Spring Rolls" to Obama 3.
The White House's official X account posted a mock Cheesecake Factory menu, writing that "The only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump's accomplishments" 1. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle separately defended the renovations to Axios and criticized Obama, according to Newsweek 1.
The projects include a planned ballroom of about 90,000 square feet with a 650-seat central room and a three-story underground expansion, replacing the demolished East Wing 1. The White House first announced the ballroom in July 2025 at about $200 million, but the estimate has climbed to $400 million to $600 million, and the overall renovation operation has a price tag of up to $1 billion, according to Newsweek 1.
That matters because the exchange puts a restaurant and the White House decor into the final week of a campaign both parties are framing around costs and priorities 13. Obama's remarks drew applause from Democrats and criticism from conservatives who called them out of touch, CBS News reported 2.
The pattern is a closing argument fought over symbols as much as spending: Obama questioned Trump's focus on construction, while Trump and his team presented the renovations as necessary maintenance and the mock menu as a list of accomplishments 12. Both men are campaigning in battleground states in the final days, and Trump also traveled Monday to Mississippi, a deeply Republican state 2.
Cheesecake Factory is set to report third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, CNBC reported 3. The midterm election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The Record
- Obama mocked Trump's White House renovations at a Saturday rally for Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton, saying the White House looks "like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory" 12.
- Trump defended the renovations and called Obama a "lousy president"; Bessent ate at a Cheesecake Factory and criticized the Obama Presidential Center 13.
Sources
- Newsweek, “Trump Admin Goes on Offensive Over Obama Cheesecake Factory Remark” (2026-10-27). newsweek.com/trump-admin-goes-offensive-obama-cheesecake-fac
- CBS News, “Trump says Obama "wouldn't understand" White House renovations” (2026-10-27). cbsnews.com/news/trump-obama-cheesecake-factory-white-house/
- CNBC, “Bessent dines at Cheesecake Factory, slams Obama over Trump joke” (2026-10-26). cnbc.com/2026/10/26/bessent-obama-cheesecake-trump-election.
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
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