Donald Trump has attacked Barack Obama over the former president’s comparison of the refurbished White House to a Cheesecake Factory, accusing him of failing to maintain the historic building properly.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for a campaign event in Mississippi, Mr Trump said: “For you to say it’s a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president.”
He also questioned Mr Obama’s intelligence, saying: “He’s not smart at all because of the way he ran the country. Only a stupid person would run the country like that.”
Mr Trump claimed that dirt and grime had been left uncleaned for years, and said the former president had failed to notice damage to the building.
“Guys like Obama don’t see it… He doesn’t see broken ornaments on a building,” he added, defending the changes made during his presidency.
The dispute followed comments by Mr Obama at a Democratic campaign appearance in Ohio on Saturday. Mocking Mr Trump’s enthusiasm for construction and renovation projects, he said the president “should be on HGTV”.
Mr Obama then said Mr Trump had left the White House looking “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory”.
Mr Trump described his own work on the building as necessary structural care. The changes have included removing the East Wing for an event space, adding hardstanding to the Rose Garden, repainting exterior columns and installing gold fixtures in the Oval Office.
The official White House X account also joined the exchange, posting a mock menu based on the restaurant chain’s extensive list of dishes.
“Since we’re talking about The Cheesecake Factory… the only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump’s accomplishments,” it said.
Mr Trump insisted that the work had been carried out by highly skilled craftsmen and said the White House represented the United States.
“I’ve taken care of the White House. I fixed it with the finest artisans in the world,” he said. “We have to explain to Obama that the White House is a symbol of America, and it has to be maintained properly.”
