Obama says he was a Cheesecake Factory regular in retort to Trump

Read more... Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday continued an unusual war of words over the Cheesecake Factory with President Donald Trump, marking the latest development in a battle over White House renovations that turned into a debate about the restaurant.The saga began over the weekend when Obama mocked Trump’s effort to build a ballroom at the White House, saying the project resembled Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi palaces that were famously littered with gold decor. Trump has the White House “looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory— it’s just gold everywhere,” Obama said during a pit stop in Ohio. Recommended Stories DOJ seeks ‘expedited discovery’ in Alaska lawsuit after Peltola NYT report WATCH LIVE: Trump campaigns in Ohio less than a week before election Trump, Vance, and the ‘jihadist’ el Sayed #mos-d526c61f-0059-4e9b-9fa7-afe88104d7a0 > section { display: none; }@scope (#mos-a68ec5a2-f0bc-49b2-a057-18f10a117c37) { .we-page-content { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 32px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333; } .we-page-headline { font-size: 42px; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 24px; font-weight: bold; } .we-paywall-text { font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5; color: #555; } .we-inline-barrier { --we-red: #DB3745; --we-charcoal: #323E48; --we-blue: #15BEF0; --we-slate: #85A0AB; --we-gold: #ECC270; --we-white: #ffffff; position: relative; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; max-width: 722px; /* Reduced another 15% from 850px */ margin: 14px auto; border-radius: 14px; /* Reduced another 15% from 17px */ color: #fff; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background: linear-gradient(90deg, rgba(50,62,72,.99) 0%, rgba(50,62,72,.92) 43%, rgba(50,62,72,.48) 68%, rgba(50,62,72,.22) 100%), linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(50,62,72,.70), rgba(50,62,72,.08) 50%), url("https://www.conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/wp-content/uploads//2026/10/localimages/Washington_Examiner_Capitol_Final.png6ae2baeb4868b.png") right center / 50% 100% no-repeat, var(--we-charcoal); } .we-inner { position: relative; z-index: 2; max-width: 382px; /* Reduced another 15% from 450px */ padding: clamp(20px, 2.9vw, 42px); /* Reduced another 15% */ } .we-title { margin: 0 0 20px; /* Reduced another 15% from 24px */ font-family: Constantia, "Lucida Bright", "DejaVu Serif", Georgia, "serif"; font-size: clamp(25px, 3.4vw, 46px); /* Reduced another 15% */ line-height: .98; letter-spacing: -.035em; color: white!important; } .we-title span { display: block; color: var(--we-red); } .we-deck { margin: 0 0 21px; /* Reduced another 15% from 25px */ max-width: 360px; /* Reduced another 15% from 425px */ font-size: clamp(12px, 1.2vw, 18px); /* Reduced another 15% */ line-height: 1.55; color: white!important; } .we-cta { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 11px; /* Reduced another 15% from 13px */ width: min(100%, 318px); /* Reduced another 15% from 374px */ padding: 12px 17px; /* Reduced another 15% */ border-radius: 8px; /* Reduced another 15% from 10px */ background: var(--we-red); color: #fff !important; text-decoration: none; font-size: clamp(12px, 1.3vw, 19px); /* Reduced another 15% */ font-weight: 700; } .we-cta:hover, .we-cta:focus-visible { filter: brightness(.94); } .we-arrow { font-size: 1.35em; font-weight: 400; } .we-member, .we-cancel { font-size: clamp(10px, 1vw, 15px); /* Reduced another 15% from 18px */ line-height: 1.4; } .we-member { margin: 18px 0 0; /* Reduced another 15% from 21px */ color: white !important; } .we-cancel { margin: 8px 0 0; /* Reduced another 15% from 10px */ color: white !important; } .we-member a { color: var(--we-red); text-decoration: none; } @media (max-width: 820px) { .we-inline-barrier { background: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(50,62,72,.42) 0%, rgba(50,62,72,.94) 45%, rgba(50,62,72,1) 100%), url("https://www.conservativenewsdaily.net/breaking-news/wp-content/uploads//2026/10/localimages/Washington_Examiner_Capitol_Final.png6ae2baeb4868b.png") top right / 100% 50% no-repeat, var(--we-charcoal); } .we-inner { max-width: none; padding-top: 35%; } .we-cta { width: 100%; } } .we-print-subscriber, .we-digital-subscriber { text-align: center; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; color: #333; } .we-print-subscriber { margin-top: 12px; } .we-digital-subscriber { margin-top: 6px; } .we-print-subscriber a, .we-digital-subscriber a { color: #DB3745; text-decoration: underline; } }if (typeof CSSScopeRule == 'undefined') { const style = document.getElementById('mos-a68ec5a2-f0bc-49b2-a057-18f10a117c37-style'); if (style) { style.textContent = style.textContent.replace(/^@scope (#mos-a68ec5a2-f0bc-49b2-a057-18f10a117c37) { /, '').replace(/}$/, '');}} Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account. Full midterm coverage.Deeper analysis. Get unlimited access to Washington Examiner's reporting, expert analysis, and coverage of the midterm elections. Get Unlimited Access › Cancel anytime. (window._matherq = window._matherq || []).push([ 'paywallEvent', { type: 'paywall', category: 'block', action: 'stop', wall_type: 'paywall' } ]);