Cheesecake Factory Joke Draws Response From Trump Team

Residents planning a meal at The Cheesecake Factory may notice more talk about the restaurant chain this week. The chain, started in 1978 by David Overton, has 218 locations and annual revenue of $1.03 billion. The discussion started with a joke about decor.

Former President Obama spoke at a political rally in Ohio on Saturday about President Trump's White House refurbishments. He said the work looked "like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. Just gold everywhere." Obama also said Trump had been "supergluing gold medallions to the mantel in the Oval Office," paving over the Rose Garden and "building a ballroom that's bigger than the White House." Obama also said the Trump administration has resulted in "two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption."

President Trump defended his taste in an exchange with reporters. "I've taken care of the White House, I've fixed it with the finest artisans in the world," Trump said. He added, "The White House was in terrible shape. The White House is now in the best shape it's been since 1792." Trump also called Obama "not a smart guy." The official White House X account posted a photo of The Cheesecake Factory menu with the message, "Since we're talking about The Cheesecake Factory.. The only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump's accomplishments."

Vice President Vance wrote on X: "Obama, without even trying to be, just can't help himself for being super elitist." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ate lunch at a Cheesecake Factory near the White House on Monday. He told journalists: "I had a great meal, always have a great meal, and I would just tell the Martha's Vineyard set to give it a try." Bessent also said of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, "This is the man who built the museum [that] looks like Darth Vader's tomb."

Obama spoke again at a rally in Georgia on Wednesday. He said he was surprised the White House responded to the joke rather than to his policy criticisms. "The president wasn't even mad about the Saddam Hussein comparison! That part didn't bother him," Obama said. He added, "They mobilized a whole of government response to that joke. Not to inflation, but to that joke." Obama said he has patronized the restaurant for years: "I am the father of two daughters. Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory?"

The Cheesecake Factory's decor has drawn comment before. The Atlantic writer Elaine Godfrey described it in an article this week "as if ancient Egypt and Tuscany had a baby in Las Vegas." Obama first made the remarks at a political rally on Saturday in Ohio ahead of the midterms.

At a political rally in Texas later in the week, Trump told supporters they could spend the $5,000 he has promised every adult citizen if Republicans keep Congress on dining out at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. "The problem is that for $5,000, the most you'll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert," Trump said. He added, "I'm not even sure you could buy that."