Why did Obama compare Trump’s White House decor to a Cheesecake Factory?

Washington: US President Donald Trump has defended renovations at the White House after former president Barack Obama mocked its interiors, comparing the gold-heavy decor to that of the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain.

Trump used an election rally in Mississippi on Monday and subsequent interactions with the media to highlight the improvements he said he had made to the presidential residence, while launching a sharp attack on Obama, whom he called a “lousy president”.

Obama had taken a dig at Trump's focus on renovations and his preference for gold, suggesting that the president should appear on HGTV, a television channel dedicated to home improvement and interior design.

“What’s up with the gold? I mean, he’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama joked at a rally in Michigan on Saturday.

The former president also criticised Trump for concentrating on renovations in Washington instead of addressing the rising cost of living for Americans, an issue that has featured prominently in the midterm election campaign.

The exchange continued on Monday when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited a Cheesecake Factory restaurant near the White House and responded to Obama's remarks by taking aim at the design of the former president's planned presidential library in Chicago. Bessent compared the building to “Darth Vader’s tomb”, referring to the villain from the Star Wars franchise.

Addressing the rally in Mississippi, Trump rejected suggestions that he was spending too much time on White House projects. He listed repairs to the building's exterior plasterwork, alongside the construction of a heliport and a ballroom.

Trump described the White House as being in poor condition before the renovations, citing a cracked column, missing ornamentation and broken tiles.

“The White House represents our country, and that has to be pristine. And I would try and explain that to a guy like Obama, but he wouldn’t understand,” Trump said.

He also criticised Obama's presidency, particularly the nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump accused his predecessor of giving Tehran USD 1.7 billion in cash without securing a guarantee that the country would never develop nuclear weapons.

“The way he ran the country, only a stupid person would run the country like that,” Trump said.

He reiterated that maintaining the White House was a matter of national importance, describing the building as a symbol of the United States.

“The White House is now in the best shape it’s been since 1792 when it was built. It’s in beautiful shape,” Trump told reporters.

Responding directly to Obama's comparison with the restaurant chain, Trump added that the remark demonstrated why he considered his predecessor a “lousy president”.