Obama mocks Trump’s White House makeover, draws fire over his own Chicago library

During a campaign stop in Ohio, former President Barack Obama attacked President Donald Trump for prioritising White House renovations, quipping that the residence now resembled a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein and should be featured on HGTV. Republican commentators swiftly countered, pointing out that Obama’s own Obama Presidential Center in Chicago—dubbed the “Death Star” for its imposing design—has been criticized for its soaring construction costs and disputes.

The criticism also resurfaced discussions about Trump’s planned White House ballroom, whose budget has ballooned from an initial $200 million estimate to a contractor’s figure of $600 million, despite earlier claims it would be privately funded. Both leaders face scrutiny over the use of taxpayer money for high-profile aesthetic projects. The spat underscores how political opponents weaponise each other’s personal projects to question fiscal priorities. Public reaction has been mixed, with some defending the Cheesecake Factory reference as a harmless jab and others accusing Obama of elitist snobbery.