Donald Trump renewed his attack on Barack Obama after the former president mocked his White House renovations, claiming his predecessor had left the building “filthy, dirty and broken.”
Trump has repeatedly responded to Obama’s joke that the renovations made the White House look as though “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Speaking at a rally in Mississippi on Monday night, Trump again argued that Obama had left the presidential residence in poor condition.
He said he had instructed reporters to tell Obama that “the White House is a symbol of America,” adding that people notice when it is “filthy, dirty and broken,” when windows are cracked and when exterior monuments appear intact on one side but damaged on the other.
Trump said he had visited the White House 20 years ago and had been “surprised” by its condition.
“This place is in bad shape, it really is. I made up for lost time because I did a job and it’s in better shape than it was built and more beautiful,” he said.
He also rejected the suggestion that he spends all his time overseeing renovations, saying he notices issues while walking back from the Oval Office.
“I’d walk, I’d look up, I’d say, ‘Boy, that wall is really bad. Let’s go, we gotta fix it, fellas.’ And we have really talented people, they have a great touch,” Trump said.
Donald Trump continued his attack after Barack Obama mocked his White House renovations, claiming his predecessor had left the building “filthy, dirty and broken”
The President has repeatedly responded to Obama’s joke that Trump’s renovations made the White House look as though “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory”
Trump accused Obama of disliking “successful companies” because of the comparison to the restaurant chain.
“I fix things very good, very beautifully and I always build beautiful and inexpensive. He said, ‘This isn’t a Cheesecake Factory,’ can you believe it, which is a very successful company. He doesn’t like successful companies,” Trump said.
Trump also lashed out at Obama during remarks to reporters at Joint Base Andrews earlier on Monday. Obama, who was a major influence on Trump’s path into politics, has remained a frequent target of his criticism.
“For you to say it’s a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
“He’s not smart at all because of the way he ran the country. Only a stupid person would run the country like that,” Trump added.
He continued by saying Obama failed to notice “dirt and filth” that had not been removed, along with walls that had not “been cleaned for years.”
“Guys like Obama don’t see it… He doesn’t see broken ornaments on a building,” Trump said while defending the changes made to the White House.
Obama had mocked Trump’s enthusiasm for construction and renovation projects during a Saturday campaign appearance for Democrats in Ohio, joking that the president “should be on HGTV.”
Obama (pictured left) next to speechwriter Jon Favreau when he arrived at the Oval Office in 2009
Gold-colored ornaments and decor are seen as US President Donald Trump speaks during a 2025 Oval Office meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Natalie Harp, executive assistant to US President Donald Trump, films Marine One arriving on the new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House under a new, gold reminder of The Oval Office
‘Guy’s building a ballroom that’s bigger than the White House! Paved over the Rose Garden, put a helicopter pad on the South Lawn and there’s gold everywhere!’
He then turned his attention to Trump’s elaborate gold decorations and ambitious construction projects.
‘What’s up with the gold?’ Obama demanded. ‘I mean, he’s got the one that’s looking like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory.’
But Obama’s criticism quickly turned from mockery to accusations of corruption and of Trump of using the presidency to benefit himself, his family and his allies.
‘The one thing that the current president is focused on other than home improvements is enriching himself and his family and his cronies,’ Obama said.
He pointed to Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures and government contracts involving his children’s businesses as examples of what he described as a pattern of self-enrichment.
‘We have lost count of all the deals he and his family have done. You can’t keep up. Meme coins, taxpayer-funded contracts for his kids’ companies,’ Obama said.
He also alleged that financial dealings involving Trump associates showed a wider culture of favoritism at the top of the administration.
President Barack Obama, right, meets with then President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office in 2016
Trump speaks during a meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office in 2025
A view of Marine One and the new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, which Obama made fun of in his speech this weekend
‘This is a culture that’s set at the top,’ Obama said.
Trump framed his extensive refurbishments as essential structural care, brushing off criticism over projects that included flattening the East Wing for an event space, laying hardscaping over the Rose Garden, repainting iconic exterior columns and installing lavish gold fixtures in the Oval Office.
The official White House X account quickly joined the fray, taking a jab at the chain’s notoriously endless 20–page, 250–item menu.
‘Since we’re talking about The Cheesecake Factory… the only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump’s accomplishments,’ the account posted with a fake menu of a list of things Trump has achieved so far during this presidency.
Trump defended his record voraciously.
‘I’ve taken care of the White House. I fixed it with the finest artisans in the world,’ he said to reporters.
‘We have to explain to Obama that the White House is a symbol of America, and it has to be maintained properly.’
