A Cheesecake Factory visit follows Obama’s joke: Bessent dines, slams Obama over Trump joke

Obama mocks White House additions

At an Ohio rally on Saturday, Barack Obama joked about changes to the White House, including a ballroom, a paved-over Rose Garden, a helicopter pad on the South Lawn and extensive gold accents. Obama said Trump had the White House looking as though “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” The comparison drew attention to the renovations and became a target of Trump’s criticism.

Trump responds at Mississippi rally

Trump criticized Obama during a rally in Mississippi. He said the Cheesecake Factory comparison showed why Obama was “a lousy president.” The article describes Monday’s remarks as the second time Trump had raged against Obama’s joke that day. Social media commentators also described Trump as “BIG MAD.”

Bessent visits the restaurant

Bessent dined at a Cheesecake Factory in Washington, D.C., on Monday. He later told Fox Business he had enjoyed the meal and encouraged the Martha’s Vineyard set to give the restaurant a try.

His remark was a retaliatory dig at Obama, whose estate on Martha’s Vineyard was also referenced by Matt Whitlock in a post on X. Whitlock said the restaurant was a good option for people who could not afford a private chef at the estate.