Obama responds to Cheesecake Factory row as Trump's remark about ‘hamburger and small dessert’ for $5000 at Mar-a-Lago comes into focus

Former President Barack Obama responded to the Cheesecake Factory row sparked by the Donald Trump administration over his remark. Former President Barack Obama, on October 28, responded to the Cheesecake Factory row that the Donald Trump administration had raised over his remark. The Democrat was campaigning for Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms when he made the remarks.Barack Obama responded to the Cheesecake Factory row over his remarks as Donald Trump's own comments about $5000 for a hamburger and small dessert at Mar-a-Lago came into focus. (Reuters, Getty via AFP)Speaking in Georgia ahead of the November 3 midterms, Obama said, “They mobilized a whole of government response to that joke. Not to inflation, but to that joke. The White House even called the Secretary of the Treasury. This is the man who is in charge of the economy. The person who's supposed to be figuring out how to make your life more affordable. The guy who's supposed to be figuring out how to lower inflation. And reduce interest rates. They told him he should hold a press conference in front of the Cheesecake Factory.”This response comes after Obama's joke on Trump's White House renovation. He'd said, “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. Just gold everywhere,” while campaigning for Democrats in Ohio.How Obama's comments sparked a backlashWhen Trump was asked about Obama's remarks, he'd said the work was done by the “finest artisans” and Obama “doesn’t notice dirt and filth.” However, the backlash grew to claim that Obama was out of touch and was mocking a restaurant for regular people.Also Read | MAGA foreign policy is a mess. Democrats disagree on what comes nextConservative political strategist Corinne Clark Barron wrote on X “KEEP THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY OUT OF YOUR ELITIST MOUTH.” New York Post columnist Lydia Moynihan said the remarks showed “how elitist he and the party that he continues to lead has become”.Scott Bessent also dined there reportedly and told a Fox Business reporter “I had a great meal, always have a great meal." He added “tell the Martha’s Vineyard set to give it a try.” Bessent's net worth is estimated to be around $600 million.Trump's $5000 for ‘hamburger and small dessert’ remarkAmid the backlash over Obama's Cheesecake Factory remark, Trump's own comments about food prices at his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago have come into focus. Speaking about affordability before the midterms, Trump said “You could even come to Mar-a-Lago. You'll be my guest. The problem is that for $5,000 the most you'll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert. I'm not even sure you could buy that! No, don't go there. It's not a good place if you're price conscious.”Critics pointed out that it was Trump who seemed to be out of touch. One wrote “Just curious if @FoxNews @marthamaccallum @HARRISFAULKNER @DLoesch @ClayTravis are having as big an aneurysm about @realDonaldTrump demeaning MAGA being too poor to afford his country club restaurant as they are about Cheesecake Factory. Trump’s $5k hamburger & dessert.”Another added “The pearl clutching over The Cheesecake Factory which is on point with Longhorn Steakhouse while Trump is laughing people can’t afford a burger at Mar A Lago. What alternate universe do these people live in?”. Yet another pointed out “Amid Growing Hunger Crisis, Narcissist trump Tells Voters They Couldn’t Afford a Burger at His Private Club,” and added "Making fun of the decor at Cheesecake Factory was elitist. Bragging that the crowd wouldn’t be able to afford the food at his club is callous.”Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More