Trump Defends White House Overhaul in 2nd Term as Obama Mocks 'Cheesecake Factory' Look
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 27
Trump Defends White House Overhaul in 2nd Term as Obama Mocks 'Cheesecake Factory' Look
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 27
Summary
Trump spent several minutes on a Mississippi campaign stop defending his second-term White House remodeling after Obama mocked it as looking like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Corinth remarks centered on a new ballroom, helipad and other projects, with Trump saying the work “relaxes” him and conceding, “I have fun doing it,” even as he insisted he had spent very little time on it.
Parts of the White House have already been demolished to make way for the ballroom, underscoring how far the renovation drive has gone.
The exchange lands as Trump campaigns in solidly Republican Mississippi to shore up midterm candidates while his approval ratings sit at record lows.
The focus on ornate renovations has become a political vulnerability with the Iran war grinding on, gas prices high and voters strained by rising living costs.