US President Donald Trump has hit back at former President Barack Obama over his reported comparison of the White House renovations to a branch of The Cheesecake Factory, defending the changes and accusing his predecessor of failing to appreciate the condition of the historic building.
Trump in a video on Tuesday, argued that the White House, as a symbol of the United States, must be properly maintained and kept in good condition.
“The White House is a symbol of America, and it has to be clean. The columns can’t be broken,” he said.
He pointed to what he described as deteriorating sections of the building, including damaged plaster, exposed bricks and broken decorative features around the windows, insisting that the renovations were necessary to preserve its appearance.
Trump also explained that his team had taken moulds of existing window ornaments on one side of the building and replicated them on the other to ensure uniformity.
Defending the cost of the project, the president said the work was completed with relatively little money, stressing that the priority was to restore the building rather than spend excessively.
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“It’s not about money; it’s about seeing. Guys like Obama don’t see. He doesn’t see dirt, he doesn’t see filth, broken-off parts of the building,” Trump said.
He further criticised Obama over the Cheesecake Factory comparison, saying, “For you to say it’s a Cheesecake Factory, that just shows you are a lousy president.”
Trump’s comments came in response to Obama’s reported criticism of the renovation work, which likened aspects of the changes to the interior of the American restaurant chain.
The dispute adds another chapter to the political rivalry between the two presidents, with the White House’s renovation plans emerging as the latest point of disagreement.