Former President Obama kicked his feud with President Trump up a notch on Wednesday as he tries to help the blue wave materialize in next week's midterms.
Campaigning for Democrats in Georgia, Obama responded to Trump's comments pushing back on his own remark comparing the president's White House renovations to the Cheesecake Factory — if it were decorated by the late Iraqi dictator Sadam Hussein.
“They mobilized a whole-of-government response to that joke, not to inflation, but to that joke,” he said. “This is what I mean when I say these are not serious people.”
Obama stirred the pot during another campaign stop in Ohio over the weekend, he poked fun at the White House renovations, which are reportedly expected to cost at least $900 million.
"He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," he said.
The former Iraqi dictator's palaces were famously adorned with gold, which has been a common feature in Trump's renovations as well. Cheesecake Factories are known for their maximalist, eclectic decor.
Trump fired back on the remark during a Monday rally in Mississippi.
“He said, ‘This isn’t a Cheesecake Factory.’ Can you believe it? Which is a very successful company. He doesn’t like successful companies,” he said.
The White House leaned into Obama's comments, posting a fake Cheesecake Factory menu touting Trump administration policies in a post on the social platform X. It said the list of Trump's accomplishments is the "only thing bigger" than the restaurant's menu.
Various conservative commentators also jumped on the remarks, arguing they showed Obama was out of touch with the average American.
Obama argued Wednesday that Trump seemed more bothered by the comparison to the restaurant chain than his biting criticism of the president's economic policies.
"Of course, the real problem is the price has gotten so high, a lot of folks can barely afford to go out to eat, so you would think that this administration would be spending time worrying about that. But that was the interesting thing about how the administration responded to the speech I gave," Obama said.
The exchange is just one front in the closing days of the most expensive midterm battle in history.
Despite the president's unpopularity and some Republicans distancing from him, Trump and the GOP have pinned their hopes on his ability to turn out the base in red states. And Obama still holds the role as the star-powered closer for Democrats.
The former president has made a few key campaign stops over the past week to rally support for Democrats in tough races. He appeared with Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit on Saturday, despite the candidates past critiques of Obama's policies.
“Well, we’ve lived through two Trump terms now,” El-Sayed told "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker about his past criticism. “So, look, I know that President Obama was handed a really difficult set of circumstances, and he did his best.”
Obama also joined Democrats Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton as they campaign for Senate and governor, respectively, in Ohio before his Georgia rally for Sen. Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Trump has had campaign stops every day this week in the race's homestretch. He made his third visit this month to Ohio last night, seeking to boost Sen. Jon Husted (R) and Vivek Ramaswamy.
He zeroed in on the report that Senate Democrats worked with Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign to recruit a spoiler candidate on the ballot. (More on that below.)
“That’s what they’re good at – cheating,” Trump said.
▪ The Hill: Democrats see battleground map expand.
▪ The Hill: The Memo: Trump faces midterm rebuke — if the polls are right.
TUNE IN: At 2 p.m. EDT today, The Hill will be doing an encore live stream of our event covering this year's Medicaid open enrollment period, "Bang for Your Buck: Get the Most from Your 2027 Medicare Benefits." Register to receive a link to the live stream. Lots of helpful information for Medicare participants and those in the healthcare space.
