Former President Barack Obama mercilessly trolled Donald Trump, as he doubled down on his viral ‘Cheesecake Factory’ during a campaign rally in Georgia.
He mocked Trump and his allies for throwing a days-long meltdown over the joke instead of focusing on the economy and brands his administration ‘not serious people’.
The former President was speaking in Morrow, Georgia, in support of Democrat Senator John Ossoff and governor candidate Keisha Lance-Bottoms ahead of next week’s midterm election.
It followed similar rallies in Ohio and Michigan over the weekend, where Obama suggested Trump’s makeover of the White House had made it look ‘like Saddam Hussein opened up a Cheesecake Factory.’
The Cheesecake Factory is a family eatery known for its extensive menu, reasonable prices and gaudy interiors.
The joke sent Trump’s outriders into performative uproar, with MAGA figures accusing Obama of being elitist and snobby about the Cheesecake Factory.
Last night in Georgia, Obama poked fun at Trump again – this time for his administration’s response to the joke.
‘The president wasn’t even mad about the Saddam Hussein comparison,’ Obama said.
‘That part didn’t bother him. But he was very upset about The Cheesecake Factory. He took great umbrage. He said I didn’t understand the work of the artisans in the White House.’
He took particular aim at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who paraded in front of cameras outside a Cheesecake Factory trying to make hay from the row.
‘They mobilised a whole of government response to that joke. Not to inflation, but to that joke,’ Obama went on.
‘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. 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.’
He continued: ‘This not something I ever thought of. I inherited a major financial crisis, I never called up my Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and said: “Man you’ve got to go to Arby’s. Order roast beef. No cheese, or you might appear elitist.” ‘
Obama said the uproar about his remarks were an illustration of why he is so angry with the Trump administration.
‘These are not serious people,’ he said. ‘And we’re all paying the price for their lack of seriousness.’
Keisha-Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson, a Republican billionaire are roughly neck-and-neck in the Governor’s race.
If Bottoms wins, she would be the first black woman Governor in American history.
