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Obama likens Trump's White House renovations to a Cheesecake Factory, and Trump fires back

Trump answered at a Monday rally in Mississippi, calling the White House a national symbol that had been in horrible condition. Outlets differ on where Obama spoke.

13 news outlets reported this
Liberal8 outletsCenter2 outletslittle coverageConservative3 outlets
Published 3 min read
Overview

Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump traded barbs over the White House renovations. At a Saturday campaign rally, Obama listed changes including a ballroom, a paved-over Rose Garden, a helicopter pad and gold decor. He said Trump "should be on HGTV" and has the White House "looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."

On Monday night, Trump answered at a rally in Corinth, Mississippi. He said the building had been in horrible condition and must be clean and pristine as a national symbol. He called the Cheesecake Factory "a very successful company" and said Obama "doesn't like successful companies."

He also said Obama would not understand. According to CBS News, Trump called the renovation spending "peanuts." The Independent and HuffPost report that Secretary Scott Bessent ate at a Washington Cheesecake Factory on Monday and told the "Martha's Vineyard set" to try it.

Both men are campaigning in the final days before Election Day. Outlets differ on where Obama spoke: CBS News says Michigan, while other outlets say Ohio.

Three sides of the story

Liberal8 outlets

Left-side outlets present the exchange as a joke that drew a reaction. The Independent's headline calls Trump "rattled." It cites social media commentators who said Obama hit a nerve, and it also includes Republican commentator Matt Whitlock's post accusing Obama of snobbery.

CBS News reports Trump saying the White House must be "pristine," that the spending is "peanuts," and that the building is in better shape than in 1792. It also reports that many Democrats applauded Obama's remarks while conservatives called them out of touch. HuffPost says Trump "lashed out," describes a day-long White House "meltdown," and mentions an AI-made image of a Cheesecake Factory menu listing Trump's accomplishments.

It says one Trump remark "seemed like a racially coded aside," and it adds Bessent's lunch and his net worth. The New York Times reports the jab rankled Trump and says Obama portrayed him as "out of touch." It adds that Trump responded at length.

Center2 outlets

Centrist outlets gave the story little coverage. The Hill reports that Trump fired back at a Monday night rally in Corinth, Mississippi, after Obama's weekend Cheesecake Factory comparison.

Conservative3 outlets

The New York Post and the Washington Examiner center on Trump's reply and quote him at length defending the renovations. Both have him describing a beautiful, well-kept White House as a symbol of the country, and both quote him saying Obama "doesn't like successful companies." The Examiner also quotes him calling the building's earlier state "horrible condition" and saying Obama "wouldn't understand."

The Post places the exchange inside Trump's rally tour. It notes his scratchy voice, the shorter speech, his 30-plus stops and the map, and it lists the renovation projects. The Examiner gives more of the rebuttal word for word.

It says Trump spent an extended stretch on the topic. It reports that a protester interrupted him, and that he said "these people are sick." It also describes Obama as appearing for Democratic Senate nominee Sherrod Brown in Cleveland.

Where outlets disagree
  • Where Obama gave the Saturday speech with the Cheesecake Factory line
All sources: 22 articles from 13 outlets

Liberal (14)

Center (3)

Conservative (5)

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