Trump slams Obama's 'dirty, filthy and broken' White House during scathing rant in defense of renovations following former president's Cheesecake Factory joke

Donald Trump went ballistic after Barack Obama's joke about his redecorations of the White House – saying his predecessor had left the home 'filthy, dirty and broken.'

The President has hit back at Obama repeatedly after the Democrat joked Trump's renovations had the White House 'looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.' 

Trump brought it up again during a rally in Mississippi on Monday night where he claimed Obama left the place a shambles. 

He said he told the press to tell Obama that 'the White House is a symbol of America and when it's filthy, dirty and broken, when the windows are cracked, when the exterior monuments on the outside are good on one side and cracked on the other side, people notice that.'

Trump added that he'd gone to the White House 20 years ago and was 'surprised' by the condition it was in.

'This place is in bad shape, it really is. I made up for lost time because I did a job and it's in better shape than it was built and more beautiful.'

He also dismissed the notion that he 'spends all his time' on renovations, saying he 'literally' does it while walking home from the Oval Office. 

'I'd walk, I'd look up, I'd say, "boy that wall is really bad, let's go, we gotta' fix it, fellas." And we have really talented people, they have a great touch.' 

Donald Trump continued on the warpath after Barack Obama's joke about his redecorations of the White House by saying his predecessor had left it 'filthy, dirty and broken'

The President has hit back at Obama repeatedly after the Democrat joked Trump's renovations had the White House 'looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory'

Trump accused Obama of not liking 'successful companies' by making the comparison to the franchise. 

'I fix things very good, very beautifully and I always build beautiful and inexpensive. He said, "this isn't a Cheesecake Factory," can you believe it, which is a very successful company. He doesn't like successful companies.'

Trump similarly lashed out at Obama, long an inspiration for Trump's rise to political power, when speaking to the press earlier Monday at Joint Base Andrews.

'For you to say it's a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows why you were a lousy president,' Trump unloaded on his predecessor while addressing the press at Joint Base Andrews.

'He's not smart at all because of the way he ran the country. Only a stupid person would run the country like that,' Trump said. 

'We have to explain that to Obama because he doesn't understand it because he's not a smart guy,' the president continued, saying Obama did not notice 'dirt and filth' that had not been cleaned and walls that had not 'been cleaned for years.'

'Guys like Obama don't see it... He doesn't see broken ornaments on a building,' Trump added, defending his updates to the White House.

During a Saturday campaign appearance for Democrats in Ohio, Obama poked fun at his successor's passion for building projects, remarking that Trump 'should be on HGTV.'

Obama (pictured left) next to speechwriter Jon Favreau when he arrived at the Oval Office in 2009

Gold colored ornaments and decor are seen as US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office in 2025

Natalie Harp, executive assistant to US President Donald Trump, films Marine One arriving on the new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House under a new, gold reminder of The Oval Office

'Guy's building a ballroom that's bigger than the White House! Paved over the Rose Garden, put a helicopter pad on the South Lawn and there's gold everywhere!' 

He then turned his attention to Trump's elaborate gold decorations and ambitious construction projects.

'What's up with the gold?' Obama demanded. 'I mean, he's got the one that's looking like Saddam Hussein opened a cheesecake factory.'

But Obama's criticism quickly turned from mockery to accusations of corruption and of Trump of using the presidency to benefit himself, his family and his allies.

'The one thing that the current president is focused on other than home improvements is enriching himself and his family and his cronies,' Obama said.

He pointed to Trump's cryptocurrency ventures and government contracts involving his children's businesses as examples of what he described as a pattern of self-enrichment.

'We have lost count of all the deals he and his family have done. You can't keep up. Meme coins, taxpayer-funded contracts for his kids' companies,' Obama said.

He also alleged that financial dealings involving Trump associates showed a wider culture of favoritism at the top of the administration.

President Barack Obama, right, meets with then President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office in 2016

Trump speaks during a meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office in 2025

A view of Marine One and the new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, which Obama made fun of in his speech this weekend

'This is a culture that's set at the top,' Obama said. 

Trump framed his extensive refurbishments as essential structural care, brushing off criticism over projects that included flattening the East Wing for an event space, laying hardscaping over the Rose Garden, repainting iconic exterior columns and installing lavish gold fixtures in the Oval Office.

The official White House X account quickly joined the fray, taking a jab at the chain's notoriously endless 20–page, 250–item menu.

'Since we're talking about The Cheesecake Factory… the only thing bigger than the menu is the list of President Trump's accomplishments,' the account posted with a fake menu of a list of things Trump has achieved so far during this presidency.

Trump defended his record voraciously.

'I've taken care of the White House. I fixed it with the finest artisans in the world,' he said to reporters. 

'We have to explain to Obama that the White House is a symbol of America, and it has to be maintained properly.'