A joke by former President Barack Obama about The Cheesecake Factory and President Donald Trump’s White House renovations has drawn Republican criticism and widened a campaign argument over inflation.
At a Saturday, Oct. 24, rally in Cleveland, Obama made the comparison while campaigning for Democratic candidates in Ohio and Michigan. He said Trump had the White House looking as if “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory, just gold everywhere.”
Trump defended the renovations two days later, saying he had “fixed it with the finest artisans in the world.” He also claimed the White House was in its best shape since 1792.
The White House’s X account paired a Cheesecake Factory menu with a message about Trump’s accomplishments. Vice President JD Vance called Obama “super elitist,” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted a restaurant recommendation. NPR reported that Bessent visited the restaurant and discussed his lunch there.
At a Wednesday, Oct. 28, rally in Georgia, Obama said the response was “not to inflation, but to that joke.” The exchange became a dispute over who speaks for ordinary diners: Obama connected the White House project to costs, while Vance and other Republicans characterized his joke as elitist. EconoTimes previously covered Obama’s renovation joke and inflation criticism.
The Cheesecake Factory’s latest quarterly results predate the remarks. For the 13 weeks ended Sept. 29, 2026, the company reported $1,033.4 million in total revenue, compared with $907.2 million in the year-earlier quarter. Comparable sales at its namesake restaurants rose 15.2% year over year, with 218 locations open at quarter-end. Total revenue covers the company, while the sales comparison applies to its namesake restaurants.
The reporting period ended before Obama’s Oct. 24 comment, so the figures contain no sales data from after the joke. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) lists Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, as the next regularly scheduled federal general election.
