Obama tells a US midterm rally in Georgia that Trump 'mobilized a whole-of-government response' to his Cheesecake Factory joke

Barack Obama used a campaign rally in Morrow, Georgia on Wednesday to turn Trump's furious reaction to the Cheesecake Factory joke into the punchline itself, telling the crowd the White House summoned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to hold a press conference outside the restaurant chain. Obama accused the administration of staging a "whole-of-government response" to a quip rather than tackling inflation, declaring: "These are not serious people." He was rallying for Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms days before Tuesday's midterms.

Obama also mocked Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for being 'laser-focused' on troops' jawlines and testosterone levels.

Trump compounded the row by joking at a Texas rally that his own supporters could not afford to eat at Mar-a-Lago.

Financial disclosures show Trump bought Cheesecake Factory shares worth up to $175,000 in 2025 before defending the chain; the White House says he does not control the investments.