U.S. President Donald Trump took offense to a remark made by former President Barack Obama, who compared Trump’s White House renovations to the tacky style of The Cheesecake Factory. “For you to call it a Cheesecake Factory—that just shows why you were a lousy president,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for a campaign trip to Mississippi.
During a campaign stop in Cleveland, Obama joked that Trump had the White House “looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory; it’s just gold everywhere.” He listed some of Trump’s changes, including the construction of a massive ballroom, a new helipad on the South Lawn, and extensive decorative updates—claiming it all cost around $900 million, according to the Washington Post.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations,” Obama said. “He should be on HGTV. Guy’s building a ballroom that’s bigger than the White House. He’s paved over the Rose Garden. He’s put a helicopter pad on the South Lawn. And there’s gold everywhere — what’s up with the gold? Everything, more gold. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
The Cheesecake Factory comparison was enough to trigger Trump
The president defended his renovation work as upkeep—which has included tearing down the East Wing to build a ballroom, repairing and repainting the North Portico columns, paving over the Rose Garden, and blinging out the Oval Office with gold wall fixtures. “We have to explain that to Obama because he doesn’t understand it because he’s not a smart guy,” the president continued. “He’s not smart at all because of the way he ran the country. Only a stupid person would run the country like that.”
Trump also claimed Obama allowed the White House to fall into disrepair during his eight years in office. “He doesn’t notice dirt and filth that hadn’t been cleaned, where the walls hadn’t been cleaned for years. He doesn’t notice areas that haven’t been painted,” he said. “Guys like Obama don’t see it. You don’t see dirt. He doesn’t see filth. He doesn’t see broken ornaments on a building.”
Even the White House’s official X account joined the conversation, poking fun at the restaurant’s famously massive menu, which averages about 20 pages and 250 items. “Since we’re talking about The Cheesecake Factory … the only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump’s accomplishments,” the account posted, along with a photo of a mock menu offering a list of “accomplishments” options.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent left a Cheesecake Factory near the White House and spoke critically about former President Barack Obama. “Well, two things. This is the man who built the museum that looks like Darth Vader’s tomb. I would tell the Martha’s Vineyard set to give it a try.”
Meanwhile, one of the key architects behind the Cheesecake Factory aesthetic said he doesn’t find the comparison funny, either. “I think it’s a little bit sad that the pettiness of politics would create that sound bite, given all the challenges facing the country today,” said Rick McCormack, the restaurant chain’s former longtime vice president of design, in an interview with CNN. “Cheesecake wasn’t covered with gold appliqués and things like that. It really is two different environments,” McCormack said. “It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, this has shiny things on the wall. Cheesecake has shiny things in it. Let’s compare the two,’ but that’s to someone who really is not knowing what they’re talking about.”
Published: Oct 28, 2026 08:00 am