JD Vance Wades Into Barack Obama's White House Cheesecake Factory Dig by Blasting Ex-President for Being 'Super Elitist'
J.D. Vance has waded into Barack Obama and Donald Trump's squabble over White House renovations.
Oct. 30 2026, Updated 10:12 a.m. ET
J.D. Vance has laid into Barack Obama after the former president sniped at Donald Trump's White House renovations.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the veep, 42, took issue with Obama comparing the glow-up to that of a "Cheesecake Factory run by Saddam Hussein."
'I Didn't Fully Get It'
Vance questioned Obama's gag.
Speaking at a Texas town hall event hosted by Fox News' Jesse Watters, Vance said: "I didn't fully get it. I kind of like the Cheesecake Factory.
"I think it’s like a good example of how Obama, without even trying to be, just can’t help himself from being super elitist."
He continued: "Remember, this is the guy who said that people who wanted good jobs were 'clinging to their guns and their religion,' as if God and the Second Amendment were something to be ashamed of."
On Obama attempting to belittle Trump, Vance said the 65-year-old "drove home how divorced the Democrats are from actual Americans."
Obama Backtracked On Joke
Obama said the Cheesecake Factory 'was my jam for about a decade.'
Obama mocked the White House renovations Saturday while representing Democrats in Ohio, accusing Trump of spending more time sprucing up the White House than helping Americans.
He said: "I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV.
"He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."
Obama appeared to backtrack on the comment in Atlanta on Wednesday, by insisting as "the father of two daughters" the Cheesecake Factory was "my jam for about a decade," which did not go unnoticed by Vance.
He said: "See, that’s exactly the point, though … he realized, 'Oh, a lot of the people we want to vote for us actually like the Cheesecake Factory.'"
'The Weirdest Restaurant To Hate On'
The Veep lauded the Cheesecake Factory's menu.
The Vice President added that the establishment is "the weirdest restaurant to hate on."
"The menu is like 75 pages long, so there’s something for everybody," he joked.
Trump responded to Obama's original taunt during a rally speech in Michigan on Monday
The commander-in-chief, 80, says he was forced into giving the building a revamp as Obama left the place in a poor condition.
He said he told the press to tell Obama that "the White House is a symbol of America and when it's filthy, dirty and broken, when the windows are cracked, when the exterior monuments on the outside are good on one side and cracked on the other side, people notice that."
Trump slammed Obama for leaving White House in a poor state.
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Trump added that he'd gone to the White House 20 years ago and was "surprised" by the condition it was in, saying: "This place is in bad shape, it really is.
"I made up for lost time because I did a job and it's in better shape than it was built and more beautiful."
He also dismissed the notion that he "spends all his time" on renovations, saying he "literally" does it while walking home from the Oval Office.
Trump explained: "I'd walk, I'd look up, I'd say, 'boy that wall is really bad, let's go, we gotta' fix it, fellas.' And we have really talented people, they have a great touch."
Obama joked Trump didn't seem fussed by 'Saddam Hussein comparison.'
The president also accused Obama of not liking "successful companies" by making the comparison to the franchise.
He ranted: "I fix things very good, very beautifully and I always build beautiful and inexpensive.
"He said, 'this isn't a Cheesecake Factory,' can you believe it, which is a very successful company. He doesn't like successful companies."
In response, Obama joked Trump was more upset with the Cheesecake Factory reference than “the Saddam Hussein comparison.”
