Obama and Trump trade attacks over White House décor and Cheesecake Factory joke
publishers 41articles 53first reported 25 Oct, 00:05 UTCdeveloping since 25 Oct · 8 editions
Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump traded insults over renovations to the White House as both campaigned ahead of next week’s congressional elections.
At a Democratic campaign stop, Obama mocked the Trump administration’s extensive use of gold décor, saying Trump had made the White House look “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” Trump defended the work, saying the building had been in poor condition and was restored by “the finest artisans in the world.” He called Obama a “lousy president” and “a stupid person.”
The dispute expanded after administration officials and conservative commentators accused Obama of insulting the restaurant chain and its customers. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited a Cheesecake Factory and praised the company; according to Fox Business, he also compared Obama’s presidential library to “Darth Vader’s tomb.” The White House posted an AI-generated Cheesecake Factory menu featuring items named for administration policies and accomplishments.
At a Wednesday rally in Morrow, Georgia, Obama mocked what he described as a “whole-of-government response” to his joke. He said the administration had focused on the restaurant reference rather than answering his criticism of tariffs, prices and alleged corruption. Obama also rejected claims that he looked down on the chain, saying he had regularly visited it with his daughters.
Obama was campaigning for Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, while Trump continued urging voters to support Republican candidates as control of the House and Senate remained contested.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 114 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 41
- Source articles
- 53
- Given to the writer
- 8, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 114 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →