Former President Barack Obama mocked the Trump White House’s lavish makeover, likening its new look to “a Cheesecake Factory” opened by Saddam Hussein. Critics, however, quickly accused Obama of criticizing grandiose design while overseeing the much-ridiculed “Death Star” presidential library complex in Chicago.
Obama delivered the jab Saturday while campaigning for Democrats in Ohio. He accused President Trump of focusing more on renovations at the White House than on helping Americans.
“I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations,” Obama said. “He should be on HGTV.”
He followed with his sharpest punchline: “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Conservative critics swiftly pushed back, arguing that Obama’s own presidential center made his architectural criticism sound like a case of people in glass houses throwing stones.
“The guy who designed this wizard prison for himself has thoughts on aesthetics?” GOP communications strategist Matt Whitlock wrote.
Another commenter took a similar shot, writing: “The guy who built this intergalactic porta potty is criticizing the way Trump decorates the White House.”
The towering Chicago complex, known for its massive, rock-like form, has been derided by critics as both the “Obamalisk” and the “Death Star.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Top Neurosurgeon, 40, Jailed Over ‘Predatory’ Nightclub Sex Attack
Obama’s choice of the Cheesecake Factory as an insult also drew criticism online. Some users argued that the restaurant is a respectable, even upscale, option for families treating themselves to dinner.
“Does Obama not understand that to most Americans the Cheesecake Factory is a very nice and fancy restaurant?” one X user asked.
“Classic Obama snobbery,” another commenter wrote. “Cheesecake Factory is a great option for people who can’t afford a private chef at their Martha’s Vineyard estate.”
The backlash arrives as the Obama Presidential Center, which officially opened in Chicago on June 19, faces scrutiny over its rising cost and disputes tied to construction work.
The Obama Foundation has estimated the project will cost $850 million—hundreds of millions of dollars more than its early projections.
Several subcontractors have also alleged that they are owed millions for their work. The foundation has said its construction manager is responsible for addressing those contract disputes.
Trump’s White House renovation plans include a proposed ballroom announced in July 2025, an updated Rose Garden and a helipad on the South Lawn.
The ballroom proposal has faced its own cost concerns. The White House initially placed the price at $200 million, while a contractor’s estimate obtained by The Washington Post put the broader project at $600 million. A substantial share is expected to come from taxpayers, despite Trump’s earlier claim that private donors would fund the ballroom.
The administration says the ballroom would create a permanent setting for major White House events and hold as many as 650 seated guests—more than three times the East Room’s capacity of 200.
