Trump Fires Back at Obama's 'Cheesecake Factory' Jab: 'Guys Like Obama Don't See It'

President Donald Trump fired back Monday at Barack Obama after the former president mocked his White House renovations, and said Obama never noticed the broken masonry and unpainted walls in his eight years there. “But we have to explain to Obama that the White House is a symbol of America, and it has to be maintained properly,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Oct. 26, 2026, according to a transcript published by RealClearPolitics [1][5].

“Very little money spent. It’s not about money. It’s about seeing. Guys like Obama don’t see it,” Trump said [1].

The video above shows Trump’s full answer, given before he left for a midterm rally in Mississippi [5]. Quotes are from RealClearPolitics, Fox News, NBC News, Gray News, Newsweek and The Post Millennial [1][2][3][4][5][6].

”Saddam Hussein Opened a Cheesecake Factory”

The fight started Saturday in Cleveland, where Obama held his first rally of the midterm campaign for two Ohio Democrats, governor nominee Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown [2][3].

“I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations,” Obama said. “He should be on HGTV.” [2]

“Guy’s building a ballroom that’s bigger than the White House. Paved over the Rose Garden, put a helicopter pad on the South Lawn, and, and there’s gold everywhere,” Obama said. “What’s up with the gold? Everything more gold. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” [4]

Obama spoke for 35 minutes in the city’s Public Auditorium, which holds more than 10,000 people, NBC News reported [3].

”It Was in Horrible Shape”

On Monday, a reporter asked whether Trump had “a further response to Obama, who made fun of the Cheesecake Factory.” [1]

“You know, I’ve taken care of the White House. I fixed it with the finest artisans in the world. We re-skinned it,” Trump said [1].

“It was in horrible shape. A lot of the ornaments and the things that were originally built on the White House were missing or damaged or gone for a long time,” he said. “They were laying on the ground, in some cases.” [1]

“The exterior plaster was broken, cracked. And the painting was terrible,” Trump said [1].

He said Obama never saw it. “And guys like Obama, they would pass the front door. They’d see the broken masonry,” Trump said [1].

“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 [1].

”We Took Molds of the One Side”

Trump described the repair work around the windows. “And the decorations and ornaments around the windows that are magnificent can’t be on one side of the window and falling off on the other side,” he said. “So we took molds of the one side and we put it on the other side. And we did a beautiful job.” [1]

He credited the crews. “I have very talented people. They work there. Many of them are in Department of Interior. They work there. They’ve done a fantastic job,” Trump said [1].

“The White House is now in the best shape it’s been since 1792, when it was built,” he said [1].

“It has to be painted. And the exterior plaster can’t be falling off the walls,” Trump said. “The columns can’t be broken. The bricks can’t be falling off from under the plaster.” [1]

“A Lousy President”

Trump closed with a shot at his predecessor. “And for you to say it’s a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy President,” he said [1].

It was not his only shot. “Obama was a grossly incompetent President! He paid off Iran with $Billions, and gave them a road to a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump wrote on Truth Social [4].

Conservatives Pile On

Critics on the right hit Obama for looking down on a restaurant that many families save up for. “For a lot of working-class people in Michigan, Cheesecake Factory is a really nice meal that they have to save up to afford,” conservative commentator Ryan James Girdusky wrote on X, according to Newsweek [5].

“Makes speeches for 500k a pop. Hasn’t eaten dinner that costs less than $250 in years. Has never been in a Cheesecake Factory. Undefeated at condescending to regular folks,” said CNN commentator Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist [5].

Obama’s camp tried to clean it up. “We did not mean any offense to Cheesecake Factory people!” Obama senior adviser Eric Schultz posted [5].

Others pointed at Obama’s own building project. “Obama’s swipe at Trump’s White House makeover comes as his own presidential center in Chicago has faced criticism over its imposing, granite-clad tower, which some critics have dubbed the ‘Obamalisk,’ along with ballooning construction costs and years of delays,” Fox News reported [2].

Fox News host Jimmy Failla called the Chicago tower an “intergalactic porta potty,” and GOP communications official Matt Whitlock called it a “wizard prison,” The Post Millennial reported [6].

What Trump Has Built

Fox News laid out what the work includes. “The Rose Garden’s former central lawn was replaced with limestone paving in 2025, creating a patio for outdoor events, speeches and entertaining, while the traditional roses were retained around the perimeter,” the outlet reported [2].

“Trump also unveiled an upgraded granite White House helipad featuring the presidential seal in September,” Fox News reported [2].

“The administration’s ballroom project is intended to provide permanent, secure space for large official events, addressing a longstanding reliance on temporary tents for major White House functions,” the outlet reported [2].

“A National Park Service environmental assessment notes that the need for expanded event space was identified in a White House planning document dating to 2000,” Fox News reported [2].

By the Numbers

1792: the year construction on the White House began [5].
$1 billion+: the projected price of the Obama Presidential Center, nearly triple its original $350 million estimate, per Fox News Digital [2].
10,000+: the capacity of Cleveland’s Public Auditorium, where Obama spoke [3].
10 days: the time left before the midterm elections when Obama spoke [2].

What’s Next

Ohio “has emerged as an intense battleground this year,” NBC News reported [3]. Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for governor, and Brown is running against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, Fox News reported [2].

Ohio “has backed Trump in his three presidential campaigns,” Fox News reported [2]. NBC News reported on Oct. 24 that Trump would return to Ohio “next week for an event in Chillicothe.” [3]

For Trump’s rally in Perry, Georgia, two days before this exchange, see HYGO News’ page on Ilhan Omar, Cuba and Iran. For how the midterms work, see the 2026 midterm elections explainer.