During campaign rallies for Democratic candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, former President Barack Obama sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s renovations and decorative changes at the White House.
Speaking in Ohio on October 24 and later in Michigan, Obama argued that Trump appeared more focused on home-improvement projects than on issues such as the cost ob===f living. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV,” Obama told the crowd.
He listed specific changes, including a large new ballroom project, alterations to the Rose Garden (which he described as paved over), a helicopter landing pad on the South Lawn, and extensive gold décor. “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,” Obama said, drawing laughter from the audience.
The remarks quickly circulated online. Trump responded at a rally in Mississippi, defending the work as necessary repairs to a building he said had been in poor condition, with issues such as cracked columns and broken tiles. He stated that the White House “represents our country, and has to be pristine” and suggested Obama “wouldn’t understand.” Trump also called the comparison a reflection of why Obama had been a “lousy president.”
The exchange highlights ongoing debate over Trump’s second-term alterations to the executive mansion, which have included increased gold accents, structural projects such as the ballroom, and other updates that supporters describe as modernization and critics have questioned on grounds of cost, taste, or historic preservation.
SOURCES:
Donald Trump Responds to Obama’s ‘Cheesecake Factory’ Jab—’Lousy President’ – Newsweek
Obama serves up a ‘Cheesecake Factory’ jibe. Trump dishes out a ‘lousy president’ retort
Trump says Obama “wouldn’t understand” White House renovations after Cheesecake Factory comment – CBS News
New White House plaques attack Trump’s Democratic predecessors, Bush | Reuters
‘What’s up with the gold?’ Here’s what Obama said about Trump’s White House makeover
Why did Obama compare Trump’s White House decor to a Cheesecake Factory? | Mathrubhumi English
