JD Vance Takes Aim at Obama Over Elitist White House Quip
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Vice President JD Vance slammed Barack Obama’s Cheesecake Factory comparison as elitist and out of touch, using the moment to argue that Democrats continue to look down on ordinary Americans.
Vice President JD Vance pushed back on former President Barack Obama’s remark that the White House resembled a Cheesecake Factory operated by Saddam Hussein, treating the comment as yet another example of the smug class contempt that too often comes from elite political circles. Vance said he did not fully understand the comparison but suggested it reflected an elitist tone and a worldview disconnected from everyday Americans.
"I think it’s like a good example of how Obama, without even trying to be, just can’t help himself from being super elitist," Vance said at a Fox News-hosted town hall in Texas.
He also referenced Obama’s earlier comments about voters, adding that the former president had repeatedly portrayed Democrats as out of touch with ordinary Americans while judging the very people they claim to represent.
"Remember, this is the guy who said that people who wanted good jobs were ‘clinging to their guns and their religion,’ as if God and the Second Amendment were something to be ashamed of," Vance remarked.
Obama had made the decor comment while campaigning in Ohio, suggesting President Trump was focused on home renovations rather than policy issues, a jab that fit neatly into the long-running habit of affluent political figures mocking working people’s tastes and concerns.
"He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," Obama said.
Vance dismissed the criticism as a misreading of public sentiment toward the restaurant chain, noting its broad menu and popularity as a reminder that ordinary people often appreciate variety and accessibility more than coastal elites do.
"The menu is like 75 pages long, so there’s something for everybody," he added.
The exchange occurred during a televised town hall hosted by Fox News host Jesse Watters, who later joked about holding a future event inside a Cheesecake Factory, underscoring the surreal spectacle of political messaging turning into another round of culture-war theatrics.