President Donald Trump’s remarks Tuesday about what $5,000 might buy at Mar-a-Lago have sharpened a contrast with Republican allies’ criticism of former President Barack Obama’s White House renovation joke.
At a Texas midterm rally, Trump discussed a $5,000 “Trump dividend” he said he would send if Republicans keep control of Congress. The Independent reported that he said the sum might buy a hamburger and perhaps a small dessert at the Palm Beach resort. “I’m not even sure you could buy that,” he said, adding that Mar-a-Lago was not a place for people watching their spending.
Obama made the restaurant reference while criticizing Trump’s White House renovation work during an Oct. 24 rally in Ohio, The Independent reported. Obama said the White House looked as if “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” Several Republican lawmakers and Trump-aligned voices then called the renovation quip elitist or out of touch, according to the outlet.
Rep. Lance Gooden, a Texas Republican, described the chain as “a nice dinner for hardworking Americans,” while conservative commentator Scott Jennings accused Obama of condescending to ordinary people, The Independent reported. Some critics also visited the restaurant afterward, the outlet said.
Trump had addressed Obama’s renovation remark at a Mississippi rally Monday, saying Obama disliked successful companies, The Independent reported. EconoTimes previously covered Trump’s response to Obama’s renovation joke. The Independent reported that progressive commentator Jordan Uhl and former Biden speechwriter Dan Cluchey were among social media users who drew attention to the difference between the criticism of Obama and Trump’s comment about Mar-a-Lago.
The Independent cited an October AP-NORC poll in which 17% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living and 26% of his handling of the economy. In a September YouGov survey, 47% described the president as out of touch, the outlet reported.
