Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump are trading jabs over an unlikely topic in the closing days of the 2026 midterm campaign: the Cheesecake Factory.
Obama took aim at Trump’s White House renovations while campaigning for Democrats in Ohio over the weekend.
“Everything, more gold,” Obama said. “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Trump fired back during a campaign rally in Mississippi on Monday night.
“He said, ‘This isn’t a Cheesecake Factory.’ Can you believe it? Which is a very successful company,” Trump said. “He doesn’t like successful companies.”
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Trump went on to defend his renovations, saying the White House was in bad shape when he took office following Obama’s presidency.
Even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent became part of the Cheesecake Factory discussion after eating lunch at the restaurant Monday. Bessent argued that Obama’s comments mocked Americans who enjoy the popular restaurant chain.
The unusual back-and-forth comes with just one week remaining before Election Day and both parties deploying some of their biggest political names to closely watched races across the country.
Trump was in Mississippi on Monday to campaign for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is facing an unexpectedly competitive challenge from Democrat Scott Colom.
“I’m here today in Mississippi for a very special reason: to stop a Marxist, radical-left, Soros district attorney from being elected to the United States Senate,” Trump told supporters.
Colom has also received help from prominent Democrats. Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Mississippi last week, while Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock has encouraged Democrats to pay more attention to the state.
Trump’s campaign blitz continues Tuesday with stops in Corpus Christi and the Lubbock area of Texas. Former NFL players, including former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, are expected to join him.
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The president is also using the final stretch of the campaign to again raise concerns about voter fraud, despite scant evidence of widespread fraud.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday that anyone reporting voter fraud in past elections or the 2026 midterms would receive $1 million “upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the fraud.”
Trump also raised concerns about the Minnesota Senate race and urged supporters not to allow anyone to “play with the votes after the race is over,” adding that the federal government would be watching closely.
With seven days until Election Day, candidates are battling over the economy, wars and control of Congress. But amid all the traditional campaign issues, the Cheesecake Factory has become an unexpected part of the closing argument.
