Bessent lunches at Cheesecake Factory, tells ‘Martha’s Vineyard set’ to try it
Barack Obama’s joke about President Trump’s White House renovations set off a weeklong exchange that has put the Cheesecake Factory at the center of the two parties’ campaign messaging. Obama, stumping for Democrats in Ohio ahead of the midterms, first made the “home renovations” remarks at a political rally on Saturday, saying the renovations looked “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. Just gold everywhere.” He said Trump had been “supergluing gold medallions to the mantel in the Oval Office,” had paved over the Rose Garden and was “building a ballroom that’s bigger than the White House.” The comparison invoked the late Iraqi dictator, who was known for lavish palaces with gold walls, cabinets of gold-plated rifles, a golden throne and depictions of himself. Trump is also well known for his love of anything gilded.
The chain central to the exchange was started in 1978 by David Overton, whose mother reportedly made a fine cheesecake, and now has 218 locations across the country and annual revenue of $1.03 billion. It is as well known for its kitschy decor as for its food; The Atlantic writer Elaine Godfrey described its look in an article this week as “as if ancient Egypt and Tuscany had a baby in Las Vegas.”
At the Ohio rally, Obama 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. He said the administration had resulted in “two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption” and that those at the helm were not “serious people.”
Trump responded by defending his taste. “I’ve taken care of the White House, I’ve fixed it with the finest artisans in the world,” he told reporters. He added: “The White House was in terrible shape. The White House is now in the best shape it’s been since 1792,” and called Obama “not a smart guy.” 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… The only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump’s accomplishments.”
Vice President JD Vance accused Obama of being out of touch with ordinary Americans, writing on X: “Obama, without even trying to be, just can’t help himself for being super elitist.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who used to manage a hedge fund, had lunch at a Cheesecake Factory near the White House on Monday, eating 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” — an apparent reference to the Obamas, who are known to holiday on the exclusive island. Bessent 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.”
Obama was undeterred, taking up the theme again at a rally in Georgia on Wednesday, saying 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! That part didn’t bother him,” he said. “They mobilized a whole of government response to that joke. Not to inflation, but to that joke. The White House even called the Secretary of the Treasury. This is the man who is in charge of the economy. 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 described himself as a longtime patron of the restaurant: “I am the father of two daughters. Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory?”
Later in the week, restaurants and affordability came up again when Trump told supporters at a political rally in Texas that they could spend the $5,000 he has promised every adult citizen, if 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. “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.”