Former President Barack Obama mocked President Donald Trump’s White House renovations at a campaign rally in Cleveland on October 24, comparing its appearance to a restaurant opened by Saddam Hussein. The remark came as Obama urged Ohio voters to support Democrats in the approaching midterm elections.
“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened up a Cheesecake Factory.”
That wording was reported by The Washington Post. Local outlet Ideastream Public Media and Mediaite also reported the comparison, with their transcriptions omitting “up.” The accounts agree on the substance of Obama’s joke.
The line was part of criticism of Trump’s attention to decorating and construction while Americans face household expenses. It was a political insult about the president’s priorities and taste, rather than a literal claim about the restaurant chain.
Barack Obama makes the remark at Cleveland rally
Obama appeared at Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown. Ideastream reported that thousands attended the event.
Acton is running against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, while Brown is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted. The former president argued that Ohio’s congressional and statewide races offered voters a way to challenge Trump’s agenda.
The appearance had been announced in advance. Brown’s campaign published an October 13 statement promoting Obama’s support and the October 24 Cleveland rally. In the accompanying endorsement, Obama emphasized Brown’s record on jobs and economic opportunity.
That campaign statement also described the Senate contest as potentially important to control of the chamber. The event was therefore an election rally supporting specific candidates, not an official White House appearance or a presidential policy announcement.
The joke targeted gold decor and renovation priorities
In its account of the speech, Mediaite reported that Obama criticized Trump’s focus on home renovations and joked that he belonged on HGTV. Obama then referred to the ballroom project, the Rose Garden, a South Lawn helicopter pad and the use of gold.
Barack Obama used the decorating comparison to argue that Trump was not concentrating on lowering prices. That argument was Obama’s campaign criticism; the joke itself does not establish the cost, legality or economic effects of any renovation.
The Saddam Hussein reference was part of the comparison about lavish appearance. It should be reported as Obama’s characterization, rather than adopted as an objective description of the building or its occupants.
How the White House has explained the ballroom
The administration has presented the ballroom as an improvement to the White House’s ability to host large official events. Its July 31, 2025, announcement of the ballroom project argued that existing facilities required temporary tents for major functions.
That original announcement described a planned event space with seating for 650 guests, compared with 200 in the East Room. Those figures describe the administration’s announced design, rather than an independently certified count of a completed building.
The White House said the project was intended to serve future administrations and preserve the complex’s architectural character. It named McCrery Architects as the lead architect, Clark Construction as the construction team leader and AECOM as the engineering team.
This is the administration’s stated rationale for the project. It is separate from a response to the October 24 joke; no direct White House response to that specific remark was verified for this report.
What the remark means for the midterm campaign
Barack Obama’s appearance formed part of his support for Democrats before the November 3 congressional elections. The Ohio rally combined criticism of Trump with appeals to elect Brown, Acton and other Democratic candidates.
The verified news is that Obama made the comparison in Cleveland on October 24. Describing it as “just now” becomes unreliable as the quotation circulates, so the event date is the clearer reference.
The wording also matters: replacing “He’s” with “Trump has” makes the subject explicit but changes the quotation. A direct quote should retain the wording attributed to Obama, while surrounding text identifies Trump as its target.
