Former U.S. President Barack Obama, who joined a Democratic campaign rally ahead of the November midterm elections, sparked controversy in U.S. political circles by criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “He has made the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” Obama’s remarks, which targeted Trump’s ongoing renovations of the White House—such as building a large banquet hall amid legal and political controversies—drew attention for invoking the Cheesecake Factory, a restaurant symbolizing middle-class dining culture in the U.S. Trump’s camp, leveraging existing partisan resentment toward Obama, has sought to use the incident to rally its base.

Obama made the comments during a speech in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key battlegrounds for this election, on the 24th. He stated, “Trump is not focused on lowering prices for you. He is building banquet halls and installing new helicopter landing pads, making the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” Hussein, a dictator who ruled Iraq with an iron fist for 24 years from 1979 until 2003, was captured after the U.S. invasion and executed in 2006. The Cheesecake Factory, which opened its first store in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978, is a quintessential American middle-class dining spot known for its massive menu, diverse offerings including Asian cuisine, lavish interiors, and large portions. It operates over 200 locations nationwide.

While Obama’s rhetoric aimed to highlight Trump’s focus on “glamorizing the White House” over addressing public livelihoods, Trump’s camp attacked him for mocking an unrelated restaurant. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory on the 26th and told reporters, “I had a French dip cheeseburger,” adding, “It was a great lunch.” He then quipped, “This is the same man who built a museum like Darth Vader’s tomb.” This referred to the Obama Presidential Center, which opened in Chicago, Illinois, in June. Trump had previously likened the memorial to a “giant landfill” without attending its opening.

Trump, speaking to reporters on the 26th, responded to Obama’s remarks by saying, “The fact that you said Cheesecake Factory shows why you were a terrible president. The White House is a symbol of America, so it must be clean, painted, and its pillars must not be broken. People like Obama don’t see the dust and dirt inside.” He added, “Looking at how he ran the country, he’s just a foolish man.” Trump and Obama, representing the Republican and Democratic parties respectively, have been crisscrossing the U.S. for campaign rallies ahead of the midterms, setting up a showdown between former and current presidents. CNN described their rivalry as the “last battle,” noting that neither side’s vision of “true Americanism” has gained clear dominance in 21st-century U.S. society.