Nationwide — Barack Obama is defending his love of The Cheesecake Factory after a joke about the restaurant sparked criticism from President Donald Trump and other Republicans. The former president says he knows the popular chain well, having spent years taking his two daughters to family-friendly restaurants.
Obama addressed the controversy Wednesday while campaigning for Democrats in Atlanta alongside Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms. The dispute began Saturday when he criticized Trump’s White House renovations during a rally in Cleveland, saying the building looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
The joke quickly drew a response from Trump, who called Obama a “lousy president” over the comparison. Other Republicans also criticized the remark, portraying the former president as disconnected from ordinary Americans. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added to the reaction by visiting a Cheesecake Factory on Monday. He said he would encourage the “Martha’s Vineyard set” to try the restaurant, suggesting that wealthy Americans should give the chain a chance.
Obama dismissed the idea that he was unfamiliar with the restaurant or the people who eat there. According to Business Insider, he reminded supporters that raising two daughters, Malia and Sasha, meant plenty of visits to family dining spots. “I am the father of two daughters. Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to The Cheesecake Factory?” he asked. He also named Chuck E. Cheese and California Pizza Kitchen as places his family frequented, saying those restaurants were his go-to spots for about a decade.
Beyond defending his restaurant joke, Obama criticized the White House for its response. He argued that the administration devoted more attention to his comments than to inflation, affordability and allegations of corruption. According to Obama, Trump was less upset by the comparison to Saddam Hussein than by the mention of The Cheesecake Factory. He also questioned why Bessent, whose role involves overseeing the nation’s economic and financial policies, would publicly respond to the joke while many Americans remain concerned about the cost of living.
The Cheesecake Factory has not publicly addressed the political dispute, but the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Its stock had also climbed more than 100% for the year by Wednesday’s market close. Company executives did not mention the controversy during their earnings call, and the White House has not publicly commented on the matter.