Trump calls Obama ‘lousy president’ over ‘Cheesecake Factory’ jibe on White House makeover
Washington: President Donald Trump has hit back at former President Barack Obama for comparing the renovated White House to the Cheesecake Factory restaurant chain, calling him “not smart at all” and a “lousy president.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday before boarding Air Force One, Trump was asked about Obama having “made fun of the Cheesecake Factory, uh, comparing it to the White House, in your decorations.”
“No. You know, I’ve taken care of the White House. I fixed it with the finest artisans in the world. We have reskinned it. It was in horrible shape,” Trump said.
He said many ornaments on the building “were missing or damaged or gone for a long time,” and that “the exterior plaster was broken, cracked. The painting was terrible.”
“The White House is now in the best shape it’s been since 1792, when it was built,” Trump said.
He then turned on his predecessor. “Guys like Obama, they would pass the front door. They’d see the broken masonry,” Trump said. He added that Obama “wouldn’t notice because he doesn’t notice that. He doesn’t notice dirt and filth.”
“We have to explain that to Obama because he doesn’t understand it, because he’s not a smart guy. Let me tell you, in my opinion, he’s not smart at all,” Trump said. “Because the way he ran the country, only a stupid person would run the country like that.”
Trump said the work had been done by “very talented people,” many of them from the Department of the Interior, at “very little money spent.”
“So we took molds of the one side and we put it on the other side, and we did a beautiful job,” he said. “It’s not about money, it’s about seeing.”
He ended with a direct rebuke. “And for you to say it’s a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president,” Trump said.
The exchange comes as Obama has been campaigning for Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Trump’s renovations of the White House have drawn criticism from Democrats and preservation groups over cost and transparency.
At the same appearance, Trump announced a $1 million reward for anyone reporting voter fraud that leads to an arrest and conviction, and commented on elections in Brazil and Israel.
Obama’s office did not immediately respond to Trump’s remarks.