Bessent Fires Back at Obama After Trump Joke and Renovation Criticism
WHO:
CBS News Politics - President Trump said Barack Obama “wouldn't understand” the White House renovations.
Alternet - “The View” moderator Whoopi Goldberg and co-host Joy Behar criticized Trump’s reaction to Obama’s remarks; co-host Sunny Hostin said Trump’s comments about Obama carried racial undertones.
Fox Business - Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, criticized Barack Obama’s comments about President Donald Trump’s White House renovations.
CNBC - Bessent was described as a former hedge fund manager whose net worth has been estimated at around $600 million.
Fox Business - Obama spoke while campaigning for Democratic candidates.
Fox Business - Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Michael Dorgan contributed to the report.
WHAT:
Alternet - Goldberg said a president needs “a thicker skin,” should listen and break down insults, and said voters were not concerned with “Cheesecake Factories.”
Alternet - Behar said Trump was jealous of Obama and joked that he would “never be cool,” sing “Let’s Stay Together” better than Al Green, or be a better comedian.
Alternet - Trump defended the White House renovations at a rally, saying the building must be maintained, painted, and have its exterior plaster and window decorations repaired; he said Obama “doesn’t see dirt” or “filth” and called him “a lousy president.”
Fox Business - Obama said Trump “seems very focused on home renovations” and “should be on HGTV,” and joked that Trump had “the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Fox Business - Bessent responded by having lunch at a Cheesecake Factory and criticizing the design of the Obama Presidential Center, saying, “This is the man who built the museum and it looks like Darth Vader’s tomb.”
CNBC - Bessent said, “This is the man who built the museum [that] looks like Darth Vader’s tomb,” and recommended the restaurant to “the Martha’s Vineyard set.”
Fox Business - Bessent said he ordered a French dip cheeseburger, his typical order at the chain.
CNBC - Bessent described his order as “what I always have: the French Dip Cheeseburger.”
CNBC - The burger is described as a charbroiled cheeseburger on a toasted brioche roll with grilled onions, Sriracha mayo and au jus for dipping; it comes with French fries or a green salad and costs $22.95 at the chain’s downtown Washington location.
Fox Business - The Obama Presidential Center’s projected cost rose from an original estimate of $350 million to more than $1 billion, according to prior Fox News Digital reporting.
Fox Business - Taxpayers faced hundreds of millions of dollars in related public-infrastructure costs, separate from the center’s construction budget.
Fox Business - The center’s 225-foot granite-clad tower has been called the “Obamalisk” by some.
CNBC - The Obama Presidential Center opened in June.
WHERE:
CBS News Politics - Trump made the remark at a rally in Mississippi.
Fox Business - Obama made his remarks at a rally in Ohio.
Fox Business - Bessent ate at a Cheesecake Factory in Washington, D.C.
CNBC - The restaurant was near the White House, at its downtown Washington location.
Fox Business - The Obama Presidential Center is in Chicago.
CNBC - Obama and Michelle Obama own an estate on Martha’s Vineyard, where Obama vacationed as president.
Fox Business - Trump’s renovation projects included a new ballroom, changes to the Rose Garden and a new helipad.
WHEN:
Alternet - Goldberg referred to voters coming out “in seven days” ahead of the midterm elections.
WHY:
Alternet - Goldberg and Behar characterized Trump’s response as reflecting an obsession with Obama and difficulty handling criticism.
Fox Business - Bessent’s restaurant visit and remarks came in response to Obama’s criticism of Trump’s White House renovations.
CNBC - Bessent was among right-wing critics who accused Obama of elitism over the Cheesecake Factory comparison.
HOW:
CNBC - Bessent made his remarks to a Fox Business reporter as he left the restaurant.
Fox Business - Bessent also defended the Trump administration’s agenda and had recently responded to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s letter, writing that she should study “introductory economics” and criticizing her “letter-writing crusade” and “participation in tabloid fodder about the Treasury Department.”
(UPDATED October 27, 2026 17:07 UTC)
President Trump defended White House renovations at a rally in Mississippi, saying the building needs repairs and Barack Obama “wouldn't understand,” after Obama joked at a rally in Ohio that Trump should be on HGTV and had made the White House look like a Cheesecake Factory. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responded by eating at a Washington Cheesecake Factory and criticizing the design of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, calling it “Darth Vader’s tomb.” On “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg urged Trump to have thicker skin, Joy Behar mocked him as jealous of Obama, and Sunny Hostin said his comments carried racial undertones.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 16:10 UTC)
President Trump defended his White House renovations after Barack Obama joked at an Ohio rally that Trump should be on HGTV and likened the changes to a Cheesecake Factory; Trump said the building needed repairs and called Obama “a lousy president.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responded by eating at a Cheesecake Factory in Washington and criticizing the design of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, comparing it to “Darth Vader’s tomb.” On “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg said a president should have thicker skin, Joy Behar accused Trump of jealousy, and Sunny Hostin said his comments about Obama carried racial undertones.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 04:11 UTC)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent fired back at Barack Obama’s criticism of President Trump’s White House renovations, saying Obama’s Chicago presidential center looks like “Darth Vader’s tomb.” Obama had joked at a rally that Trump was focused on home renovations and should be on HGTV, comparing the White House to a Cheesecake Factory. Bessent answered with a Cheesecake Factory lunch near the White House, ordering his usual French dip cheeseburger and recommending the restaurant to “the Martha’s Vineyard set.”