Former Presidents Exchange Barbs Over White House Decor Ahead of Midterms

Former President Barack Obama escalated a political dispute with President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Georgia on Wednesday after Trump criticized his remarks comparing White House renovations to a restaurant chain.

Obama mocked gold decor changes at the White House during a weekend speech in Cleveland, prompting Trump, administration officials and conservative commentators to defend the renovations and the restaurant chain in recent days.

The exchange comes in the final week before midterm elections as both political parties send prominent surrogates across the country to rally voters on economic and governance issues.

"He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," said Obama at the Cleveland event, according to CNN.

Trump responded on Monday by calling Obama not a smart guy and telling reporters that the comparison "just shows why you were a lousy president," Business Insider reported.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ate dinner at a Washington-area Cheesecake Factory and criticized Obama's remarks to reporters, while the official White House social media account called the chain a great American institution.

Addressing supporters in Georgia, Obama said the administration spent more energy reacting to his restaurant joke than addressing concerns regarding rising living costs for American families.

"They did not dispute what I said about them being directly responsible for rising prices," said Obama during his Georgia address.

"But he was very upset about the Cheesecake Factory comment," Obama said, adding that Trump took great umbrage.

Obama defended his familiarity with family dining chains, noting that he frequently visited them while raising his two children.

"I am the father of two daughters," said Obama. "Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory?"

Obama added that higher consumer prices now make dining out difficult for many families, arguing that officials should focus on economic concerns rather than decor.

Conservative commentators Scott Jennings and Clay Travis criticized Obama's initial remarks as condescending toward working-class Americans, according to the Times of India.

A former vice president of design for The Cheesecake Factory also rejected the comparison, telling CNN that the White House does not resemble the chain's locations.

Party leaders plan to continue campaigning across key states through election day as voters weigh economic concerns and congressional control.