Why is the Cheesecake Factory at the center of the latest culture war?
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The Cheesecake Factory is seen on May 02, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty hide caption They say there's no such thing as bad publicity.
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If that's true it's been a golden week for the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain. The furore began when former President Obama, stumping for Democrats in Ohio this week ahead of the midterms, joked about President Trump's White House refurbishments, saying they looked "like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.
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Just gold everywhere." The late Iraqi dictator was known for building lavish palaces, with gold walls, cabinets of gold-plated rifles, a golden throne and of course plenty of depictions of the man himself.
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Trump is also well-known for his love of anything gilded and Obama joked he'd been "supergluing gold medallions to the mantel in the Oval Office," while also paving over the Rose Garden and "building a ballroom that's bigger than the White House."
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Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally for Democratic Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Cleveland.
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Sue Ogrocki/AP hide caption And the Cheesecake Factory? The beloved U.S. restaurant chain was started in 1978 by David Overton, whose mother reportedly made a fine cheesecake, and now has 218 locations across the country and an annual revenue of $1.03 billion.
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But it's as well known for its kitschy decor as its food, with The Atlantic writer Elaine Godfrey describing it in an article this week "as if ancient Egypt and Tuscany had a baby in Las Vegas." Obama first made the "home renovations" remarks at the political rally on Saturday, where he also portrayed the Trump administration as out of touch with ordinary Americans suffering from a cost of living crisis and the economic consequences of the president's war in Iran.
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Obama said the Trump administration had resulted in "two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption" and that those at the helm were not "serious people."
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Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's palace of al-Faw is seen in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March 23, 2023.
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The palace is today the location of the American University.
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Hadi Mizban/AP hide caption The administration was quick to respond, with President Trump defending his taste, saying: "I've taken care of the White House, I've fixed it with the finest artisans in the world." "The White House was in terrible shape. The White House is now in the best shape it's been since 1792," he told reporters when asked about Obama's quip, adding that Obama was "not a smart guy."
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The official White House X account posted a photo of the Cheesecake Factory's famously large menu, saying "Since we're talking about The Cheesecake Factory...
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The only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump's accomplishments." Vice President Vance reacted by accusing Obama of being out of touch with ordinary Americans.
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"Obama, without even trying to be, just can't help himself for being super elitist," he wrote on X. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also sought to capitalize on the backlash, having lunch at a Cheesecake Factory near the White House on Monday.
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He ate a French Dip Cheeseburger and told journalists afterwards: "I had a great meal, always have a great meal, and I would just tell the Martha's Vineyard set to give it a try," in an apparent reference to the Obamas who are known to holiday on the exclusive island. Gold-colored Presidential seals are seen on a fireplace in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump meets with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Washington.
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Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption On the topic of taste in decor, Bessent, who used to manage a hedge fund, also made an apparent jibe about the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. "This is the man who built the museum [that] looks like Darth Vader's tomb," he added.
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Obama was undeterred, taking up the theme again at a rally in Georgia on Wednesday, and saying that he was surprised that instead of hitting back on his criticisms about policy and corruption, the White House was more upset about the Cheesecake Factory remark. "The president wasn't even mad about the Saddam Hussein comparison!
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That part didn't bother him," said Obama.
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"They mobilized a whole of government response to that joke.
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Not to inflation, but to that joke.
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The White House even called the Secretary of the Treasury. This is the man who is in charge of the economy.
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The person who's supposed to be figuring out how to make your life more affordable," he added. "The guy who's supposed to be figuring out how to lower inflation. And reduce interest rates. They told him he should hold a press conference in front of the Cheesecake Factory." Obama also stressed he had been a proud patron of the restaurant for many years.
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"I am the father of two daughters. Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory?" Construction continues on the White House Ballroom, as seen from the Washington Monument, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Washington.
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Mariam Zuhaib/AP hide caption Later in the week, restaurants and affordability came up again.
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Trump told supporters at a political rally in Texas that they could spend the $5,000 he's promised every adult citizen if the Republicans keep Congress on dining out at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. "The problem is that for $5,000, the most you'll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert," Trump joked.
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"I'm not even sure you could buy that," he said, before rescinding the advice: "No, don't go there. That's not a good place if you're price-conscious."
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