Rattled Trump responds to Obama comparing his White House makeover to a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein

President Donald Trump used a Monday night rally in Mississippi to hit back at former President Barack Obama, who had mocked the look of the renovated White House at an Ohio event two days earlier. Obama listed a ballroom larger than the building itself, a paved-over Rose Garden, a helicopter pad on the South Lawn and gold throughout, then joked that Saddam Hussein seemed to have opened a Cheesecake Factory there, according to The Independent.

Trump brought the remark up twice on Monday. Before the rally he said he had restored a decayed building using the finest artisans in the world, and argued that the jibe showed Obama was a lousy president. Onstage he noted that the restaurant chain is very successful, and said Obama dislikes successful companies. Journalist Aaron Rupar shared video of the moment, and some social media users said Obama had touched a nerve.

Republican voices countered that Obama was being snobbish. Matt Whitlock wrote on X that the chain suits people without a private chef at a Martha's Vineyard estate. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ate at a Washington location Monday and told Fox Business he had a great meal.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →