The viral political skirmish began this weekend during campaign stops in Cleveland and Michigan. Former President Barack Obama attacked Donald Trump’s White House renovations during the second term, notably mocking the extensive use of gold trim and the construction of a new ballroom.
“He makes the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory,” he said. “Just gold everywhere.”
This seemed to strike a chord with Trump, who, according to the New York Times, spent more than half his time responding to Obama’s remarks.
“The fact that you say it’s a Cheesecake Factory just shows why you were a bad president,” Trump said, before calling Obama a “stupid person.”
From there, the administration fully addressed the viral moment.
The White House made a “surprise” announcement Tuesday, saying “the Cheesecake Factory is a great American institution.” Hours later, the administration released an AI-generated Cheesecake Factory menu on X, featuring Trump administration-themed items such as “The Border Security Special” and “The American Energy Feast.”
“Since we are talking about The Cheesecake Factory,” the White House write-up reads. “The only thing above the menu is President Trump’s list of accomplishments.”
The timing coincided with Trump’s planned visit to Corpus Christi, where he gave a speech around 3 p.m. but focused primarily on urging voters to vote for Republican candidates, particularly Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate.
Those exchanges quickly devolved into an online culture war debate, with commenters debating whether Obama’s joke was an elitist joke in a Central American restaurant or just a harmless roast.
Rick McCormack, former vice president of design at the Cheesecake Factory, was among those who didn’t appreciate Obama’s joke, calling it mean-spirited.
“I think it’s a little sad that the pettiness of politics would create that phrase, knowing all the challenges the country faces today,” he said. “It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, there are shiny things on the wall. Cheesecake has shiny things in it. Let’s compare the two,’ but that’s to someone who really doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”
While The Cheesecake Factory company representatives remained silent, national noise found its way to local doors.
A manager at a Houston Cheesecake Factory admitted his surprise after learning why the restaurant was suddenly starting to take heat. While noting a recent increase in foot traffic, the manager couldn’t say for sure whether the crowd was drawn by politics or the chain’s newly promoted Cajun salmon.
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