Scott Bessent responds to Obama’s ‘Cheesecake Factory’ joke with lunch stop, social media jab

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responded to former President Barack Obama’s recent “Cheesecake Factory” quip with a visit to the restaurant chain on Monday and a social media jab. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent waves as President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Friday, Oct.

23, 2026, at Alico Arena on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)The exchange came days after Obama compared the White House’s gold-heavy redesign to “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory” during a campaign rally in Ohio.

Bessent was approached by a Fox Business reporter outside a Cheesecake Factory near the Treasury Department in Washington, DC, on Monday after having lunch. Asked about Obama’s remarks, Bessent criticized the former president while referencing the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

“This is the man who built the, uh, museum that looks like Darth Vader’s tomb,” Bessent said during his exchange with the reporters. “I had a great meal, always have a great meal. I would tell the Martha’s Vineyard set to give it a try.” The comments referred to Obama’s residence on Martha’s Vineyard and the design of the Obama Presidential Center, which has drawn public attention for its modern architecture.

During Monday’s exchange with reporters, Bessent also said he ordered his regular meal. “What I always have: the French Dip Cheeseburger,” he said. “It was a great lunch.” Later, Bessent posted another message on X directed at Obama.

“I recommend the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls,” he wrote while tagging the former president. Obama sparked the latest political exchange during a Democratic campaign event in Ohio on Saturday. He joked that Trump appeared more focused on renovating the White House than governing.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations,” Obama said. “He should be on HGTV.” Obama then drew laughter from the audience by adding that Trump had “got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” referring to what he described as extensive use of gold in the renovation.

To that, Trump later responded separately on Truth Social, calling Obama a “grossly incompetent President” and attacking his record on Iran and Democratic candidates. One weekend later, Bessent hopped on the train too. Before joining the Trump administration, Bessent built his career as a hedge fund manager and investor.

His financial disclosures estimate his wealth at as much as $600 million, making him one of the wealthiest members of Trump’s Cabinet. Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk.

Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues.

Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats.

Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments.

She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More