Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump have turned the Cheesecake Factory into an unlikely point of contention in the final days of the midterm election campaign, trading jabs as voters prepare to decide control of Congress.
Obama took aim at Trump's gold-heavy White House renovations during an Oct. 24 campaign appearance in Ohio, mocking the president for making the residence look as though "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."
The remark drew a sharp response from Trump this week, who launched into lengthy defenses of both his White House renovations and the restaurant chain.
The exchange is the latest unusual distraction in an increasingly colorful campaign. Trump has issued warnings about communism, commented on men's physiques and joked that the $5,000 payments he has pledged to Americans if Republicans retain control of Congress would barely cover a meal at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Both men are trying to portray the opposing party as disconnected from voters' economic anxieties as Americans grapple with high prices, a central issue heading into Tuesday's election.
Campaigning for Democrats in Morrow, Georgia, on Wednesday, Obama said Trump and his supporters were focusing on his Cheesecake Factory remarks rather than inflation, hoping voters would not notice that their bills were rising and their lives were becoming more difficult.
"They mobilized a whole-of-government response to that joke, not to inflation, but to that joke," Obama said. "They don't have solutions to actual problems, so they'd rather have the media and you talking about the Cheesecake Factory."
Responding to conservative critics who suggested his joke mocked the restaurant's customers, Obama said: "I am the father of two daughters. Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory?"
Trump seized on Obama's remarks during campaign stops in Texas and Mississippi.
"Every piece of lettuce he eats has to be perfect, and I'm not that choosy," Trump said in Corpus Christi, Texas, waving his arms as if shaping a lettuce leaf.
Trump accused Obama of elitism for mocking the restaurant chain, known for its extensive menu and eclectic decor, which can include Egyptian-style columns and palm trees. He also dismissed criticism of his White House renovations.
"For you to say it's a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president," Trump said in comments to reporters on Monday.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined the exchange Tuesday, eating a French dip cheeseburger at a Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Washington and saying "the Martha's Vineyard set" should give the chain a try. Obama owns a home on the upscale Massachusetts island.
The episode is the latest flare-up in a rivalry that dates to 2011, when Trump gained political prominence by falsely questioning whether Obama was born in the United States. Obama later mocked Trump during remarks at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
During this year's midterm campaign, Democrats have accused Trump of being out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans, while Trump has repeatedly played down rising gas prices since the war with Iran began.
Trump gave his opponents another opening this week when he discussed in Texas how Americans should spend the $5,000 checks he has proposed sending them if Republicans retain control of Congress.
"You could even come to Mar-a-Lago," Trump said. "The problem is that for $5,000 the most you'll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert."