Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joins Brian Kilmeade to discuss President Donald Trump’s economic crackdown on Iran, growing pressure on the Iranian regime, trade tensions with Canada and Mexico, and the outlook for the U.S. economy.
A key Trump administration cabinet official fired back Monday at former President Barack Obama’s criticism of White House renovations by having lunch at the restaurant that was caught up in the ex-president’s criticism.
Obama spoke at a rally in Ohio on Saturday as he campaigned for Democratic candidates and criticized President Donald Trump’s White House renovations. He said Trump “seems very focused on home improvement” and “should be on HGTV.”
“He makes the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory,” Obama joked after discussing Trump’s affinity for gilded decorations in the various projects underway at the White House, including the new ballroom, modifications to the Rose Garden and a new helipad.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responded by visiting a Cheesecake Factory in Washington, D.C., for lunch and responded to the former president’s remarks by criticizing the design of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced Operation Economic Outcast, a Trump administration initiative aimed at pressuring countries to cut economic ties with Iran. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“This is the man who built the museum and it looks like Darth Vader’s tomb,” Bessent said. “I had a good meal. I always have a good meal and I would tell the Martha’s Vineyard group to try it.”
FOX Business asked Bessent what he ate for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and said he ordered a French cheeseburger, which is his typical order at the restaurant chain.
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Former President Barack Obama said Trump’s White House renovations were like “Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory.” (Reuters/Vincent Alban)
The Treasury secretary’s criticism of the design of the Obama Presidential Center comes as the building has been nicknamed “the Obamalisk” by some because of the appearance of the 225-foot granite-clad tower.
The projected price tag for the Obama Presidential Center has risen from its initial estimate of $350 million to more than $1 billion, according to a previous report from Fox News Digital.
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The Obama Presidential Center has drawn criticism for its appearance. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Additionally, taxpayers faced hundreds of millions of dollars in associated public infrastructure costs, separate from the Obama Center construction budget.
Bessent has been a staunch defender of the Trump administration’s agenda and has launched rhetorical attacks against critics, recently responding to a letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., telling her that “Rather than follow my suggestion to study introductory economics, you continued your letter-writing crusade and tabloid coverage about the Treasury Department.”
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Jasmine Baehr and Michael Dorgan of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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