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Former President Barack Obama took to the campaign trail in Cleveland on Saturday, October 24, and turned his fire on President Donald Trump's White House renovations, mocking the gold-heavy makeover of the presidential residence in front of a rally crowd.
Obama was campaigning for Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, ten days before the November 3 midterm elections, when he questioned the president's priorities. "Does anybody really think this guy in the White House right now is spending all that time thinking about these issues?" he asked. "I mean, I don't know if you've noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV."
He then ran through the president's projects — a new White House ballroom, a Rose Garden makeover and a South Lawn helipad — before landing the line that spread across social media. "There's gold everywhere. He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," Obama quipped, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd at Cleveland Public Auditorium.
Trump's supporters fired back by pointing to Obama's own presidential project: the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which opened in June 2026 after years of delays. The Obama Foundation has confirmed the campus will cost approximately $1 billion, up from an original construction estimate of $300 million to $350 million — a figure the foundation says was privately raised and reflects added scope beyond the original plan.
Critics have also pointed to payment disputes around the project. Chicago-based Adamson Plumbing owner Mike Owen has said his firm took nearly $4 million in losses tied to the project, suspended operations and laid off 25 union workers, and filed a $1.72 million mechanics lien. Other subcontractors have filed liens and claims running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the African American Contractors Association has said several minority-owned firms sought help collecting overdue invoices. The Obama Foundation says construction manager Lakeside Alliance is responsible for managing and paying subcontractors and reports no outstanding disputed charges with the alliance, and Lakeside has said contractual closeout can continue long after opening and that it remains committed to resolving open matters.
The White House renovations themselves go beyond decoration, the administration has argued. The Rose Garden's central lawn was replaced with limestone paving in 2025, creating a patio for outdoor events, while the traditional roses were kept around the perimeter, and the ballroom project has been presented as addressing longstanding operational needs at the presidential complex. Obama has teased Trump's redecorating before, including on Larry David's HBO Max show, but in Cleveland he tied the jab directly to the midterm choice, arguing voters were not stuck with Trump's allies in Congress and in governors' mansions.
"After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence ... you get a chance to say enough is enough," Obama said.