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By Steven Frank
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Former President Barack Obama mocked President Donald Trump for “literally doing arts and crafts” in the Oval Office as he criticized the administration over war and high prices during a campaign rally in Morrow, Georgia, on Wednesday.
Obama delivered the remarks while campaigning for a pair of Democrats, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms in the final days before Tuesday's midterm elections. Ossoff is defending his Senate seat against Republican Representative Mike Collins, while Bottoms is running against Republican Rick Jackson for governor.
During an extended attack on Trump’s priorities, Obama turned to the president’s changes to the White House and the gold decorations he has added to the Oval Office.
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“I’m not making this up, the president of the United States is spending time supergluing gold medallions to the mantel in the Oval Office,” Obama told the crowd. “He’s literally doing arts and crafts while we are fighting a war and trying to deal with out-of-control prices.”
“The administration’s own actions are directly responsible for rising costs,” Obama said. “The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions, the most important of which was to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for.”
Obama repeatedly returned to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and rising prices as he made his case against Trump and Republicans in the final days of the midterm campaign.
Obama Revives Cheesecake Factory Feud
Obama’s “arts and crafts” attack came as he revisited his mockery of Trump’s White House renovations, which sparked days of pushback from the president and his administration.
At a rally in Ohio over the weekend, Obama said that Trump had made the White House look “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Trump subsequently defended his renovations and criticized Obama, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited a Cheesecake Factory in Washington, D.C., and used the appearance to hit back at the former president.
On Wednesday, Obama suggested the scale of the Trump administration’s reaction proved his broader point about its priorities.
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“Let me get this on the record. I am the father of two daughters,” Obama said. “Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory? That was my jam.”
Obama argued that the administration had not disputed his criticism over prices or his accusations of corruption but had instead focused on his restaurant remark.
“The president wasn’t even mad about the Saddam Hussein comparison. That part didn’t bother him,” Obama said. “But he was very upset about the Cheesecake Factory comments. He took great umbrage.”
“They mobilized a whole-of-government response to that joke,” he continued. “Not to inflation, but to that joke.”
Obama singled out Bessent’s appearance outside the restaurant, noting that the Treasury secretary is responsible for economic policy.
The former president then joked about his own experience dealing with the financial crisis after taking office in 2009.
“I inherited this major financial crisis. I never called my Treasury secretary and said, ‘You’ve got to go to Arby’s. Order roast beef. No cheese though, that may look elitist,’” Obama said.
“This is what I mean when I say these are not serious people,” he added. “They don’t have solutions to actual problems, so they’d rather have the media and you talking about the Cheesecake Factory.”
Obama Hits Trump Over Iran and Putin
Obama also criticized the Trump administration’s foreign policy, contrasting the current conflict with Iran with his own approach to Tehran’s nuclear program.
“We had curbed their nuclear program,” Obama said. “I had put in place a deal. I didn’t have to fire any missiles. I engaged in diplomacy.”
He also accused the White House of surrendering to the demands of strongman Russian President Vladimir Putin and “selling out” Ukrainians.
“The White House is bending the knee to Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Obama said, “and selling out Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom and democracy.”
On the economy, Obama portrayed Trump as having failed to deliver on promises he made before returning to the White House.
“I’m a fact guy. So let’s play back the tape,” Obama said. “People heard Trump promise to get costs under control.”
Obama cited Trump’s promises on tariffs, foreign wars and healthcare before telling the crowd: “If you thought everything cost too much before, guess what? Everything is more expensive now.”
Obama Campaigns for Georgia Democrats
Obama’s appearance came as Democrats made a final push to support Ossoff and Bottoms ahead of Election Day.
The former president also took aim at Trump more personally, accusing him of aiming to enrich himself and his family, comparing the behavior to that of foreign "dictators."
“He is very much focused on enriching himself and his family,” Obama said. “That’s what dictators in other countries do. But that’s not what we do.”
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Obama later recalled the controversy during his own presidency over his decision to wear a tan suit.
“I am old enough to remember when a president wearing a tan suit was a major national controversy,” Obama said. “They were very upset.”
“And I know I looked good in that suit.”
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins
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