Bessent Eats at Cheesecake Factory and Fires Back at Obama Over White House Joke

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday joined a growing list of Trump allies accusing former President Barack Obama of elitism, after Obama likened President Donald Trump's White House renovations to the Cheesecake Factory. Bessent responded by eating at the restaurant chain himself.

Bessent, a former hedge fund manager whose net worth has been estimated at around $600 million, spoke to a Fox Business reporter as he left a location near the White House. Asked about Obama's remark, he pointed to the Obama Presidential Center, which opened in June. "This is the man who built the museum [that] looks like Darth Vader's tomb," he said.

Bessent praised the meal and took a swipe at Obama's vacation habits. "I had a great meal, always have a great meal, and I would just tell the Martha's Vineyard set to give it a try," he said. Obama vacationed on the island as president, and he and his wife Michelle now own an estate there.

The Treasury Secretary said he ordered his usual, the French Dip Cheeseburger. The menu describes it as a charbroiled cheeseburger on a toasted brioche roll with grilled onions, sriracha mayo and au jus for dipping. It costs $22.95 at the downtown Washington restaurant. In a follow-up post on X aimed at Obama, Bessent added: "I recommend the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls."

The joke that set off the dispute came Saturday at an Ohio rally for gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown. "I don't know if you've noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV!" Obama said of Trump. He continued: "There's gold everywhere. What's up with the gold? He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory." The crowd responded with cheers and laughter.

Since returning to office, Trump has spent considerable time discussing his renovations. The Oval Office now features heaps of gold leaf, and he has also added a helipad and is building a ballroom, which is still under construction. On Monday afternoon, as he headed to Mississippi for a campaign rally, Trump defended the work and said Obama had neglected needed repairs. "Guys like Obama don't see it. You don't see dirt," he said, adding that columns cannot be broken and bricks cannot be falling off from under the plaster.

Other critics framed Obama's comparison as snobbery. Republican commentator Matt Whitlock called it "Classic Obama snobbery," while GOP pundit Scott Jennings said Obama is "undefeated at condescending to regular folks" and claimed the former president has never been in a Cheesecake Factory.

That reaction drew its own pushback. Menswear influencer Derek Guy wrote on X that the criticism reflects a condescending view of working-class people. He said his working-class immigrant family treated Red Lobster and the Cheesecake Factory as "fancy nights out," but still understood that the White House should not resemble the inside of a Red Lobster.

The exchange comes days before the Nov. 3 midterm election, in which most polls and analyst projections suggest Democrats are poised for significant gains in Congress. Voter frustration over high costs has defined the campaign, pushing Trump's approval ratings to new lows and threatening Republican majorities in the House and Senate. The Cheesecake Factory is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on Tuesday.