Obama Mocks Trump White House Renovations as Cheesecake Factory

President Donald Trump's extensive White House renovations became a flashpoint in the 2026 midterm election campaign after former President Barack Obama ridiculed the building's gold-heavy decor at a Democratic rally in Cleveland, Ohio, over the weekend. The exchange drew a sharp response from Trump and criticism from Rick McCormack, the former longtime vice president of design at The Cheesecake Factory, whose restaurant interiors Obama invoked in his joke.

Obama's remarks targeted Trump's decorative choices and construction projects, including plans for a new ballroom, the paving of the Rose Garden into a patio, a helicopter landing area on the South Lawn and extensive gold accents inside the White House. The dispute has unfolded as both presidents campaign for their parties ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted earlier in October found that 59% of US adults believed Trump was spending too much time renovating the White House. Another 27% said he was devoting the right amount of time to the projects, while 11% said he was spending too little time on them, according to Yahoo News.

Obama also criticized the administration over the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool controversy and Trump's trade dispute with Canada during his campaign remarks in Ohio.

Trump responded to the criticism while traveling to Mississippi on Monday, defending the renovations as necessary maintenance and arguing that the White House should reflect the country's standing. He also disputed the suggestion that the projects had consumed too much of his time.

Trump said, "For you to say it’s a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president," according to CNN.

Trump described the White House as a national symbol that required proper upkeep. He also acknowledged that working on renovation projects provided personal enjoyment and relaxation, according to The New York Times and Yahoo News.

"It actually relaxes me," Trump said in Corinth, Mississippi, according to The New York Times.

Yahoo News reported that the White House renovations are projected to cost at least $900 million. Trump has defended the work while campaigning for Republican candidates, including incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress.

McCormack, who helped establish The Cheesecake Factory's in-house design department after joining the company full-time in 1995, rejected the comparison between the restaurant chain's interiors and Trump's White House decor. He argued that the political dispute had unfairly drawn the restaurant into a controversy unrelated to its design philosophy.

"I think it’s a little bit sad that the pettiness of politics would create that sound bite, knowing all our challenges going on in the country today," McCormack told CNN.

McCormack helped expand the chain's distinctive interior style across locations nationwide over 13 years. The design combined limestone or granite floors, hand-plastered walls, elaborate lighting, murals and large columns to create an atmosphere of grandeur at prices intended to remain accessible to diners.

David Overton, who opened the first Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978 to showcase his mother's baked goods, developed the aesthetic that became a defining feature of the restaurant chain. The company now operates more than 200 locations, according to CNN.

McCormack said the restaurant's elaborate interiors were intended to surprise customers with their scale while maintaining affordability. He also argued that the rising cost of construction has made comparable restaurant designs increasingly difficult to build.

"Cheesecake wasn’t covered with gold appliqués and things like that. It really is two different environments," McCormack told CNN.

He said the comparison overlooked the differences between the restaurant's coordinated design elements and the gold-heavy decorations at the White House. McCormack also noted that design preferences evolve, while the chain's theatrical interiors have remained part of its identity and contributed to its enduring appeal.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Enough people like the design where it’s made Cheesecake a phenomenal success over the years," McCormack told CNN.

Trump's allies also challenged Obama's joke. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited a Cheesecake Factory location near the White House on Monday, praised the food and criticized Obama for what he characterized as elitism. Bessent ordered a French Dip Cheeseburger and subsequently recommended the restaurant's Cheeseburger Spring Rolls in a post on X, according to CNBC.

The exchange prompted competing arguments over whether Obama's comparison disparaged a restaurant associated with affordable celebrations or simply criticized the president's decorative choices. Commentators on both sides joined the dispute as the campaign season intensified.

The political argument comes amid economic concerns that have weighed on the administration. CNBC reported that high living costs and declining presidential approval ratings have complicated Republican efforts to preserve their congressional majorities in the November 3 elections.

The Cheesecake Factory was scheduled to report its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, October 27, according to CNBC.