Obama ridicules Trump’s gaudy White House makeover, White House rushes to defend it
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At a Michigan rally, former President Barack Obama mocked Donald Trump’s latest White House renovations by comparing them to a Cheesecake Factory fantasy, while the White House fired back by celebrating Trump’s taste for opulent rebuilding and attacking Obama in the harshest terms.
Former President Barack Obama used a Michigan rally on Oct. 24 to blast President Donald Trump's recent White House renovation projects, saying they made the executive residence look "like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory." Obama pointed to the expanded ballroom, the paved-over Rose Garden and the addition of a helicopter pad, arguing that the decor was drenched in "gold everywhere" and suggesting the president was more interested in flashy home renovation than in lowering costs for ordinary Americans. > "I don't know if you've noticed, but he is very focused on home renovation. He should be on HGTV," Obama said. > "Guy is building a ballroom that is bigger than the White House, paved over the Rose Garden – paved it over – put a helicopter pad on the side lawn. What's up with the gold? I mean, he's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. It's just gold everywhere. He is clearly not focused on lowering prices for you."
The White House responded through spokesperson Davis Ingle, claiming that President Trump had done more to beautify the nation’s interior than any previous president and praising the "bold vision" it said was restoring landmarks and preserving the capital’s condition for future generations. The statement also branded Obama as one of the most "destructive Presidents in history."
Conservative commentators and Republican lawmakers backed the administration’s defense, stressing that The Cheesecake Factory offers affordable dining for working-class Americans. Social media users argued over the remark, with some defending the restaurant’s broad appeal and others agreeing with Obama’s description of the White House décor as excessively lavish.
The Cheesecake Factory did not immediately comment on the remarks.