Obama mocks Trump’s White House renovations

Former President Barack Obama mocked President Donald Trump’s White House renovations at a Cleveland rally on October 24, 2026, backing Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton. He said Trump seemed focused on home renovations and should be on HGTV, citing a ballroom bigger than the White House, a paved Rose Garden, a South Lawn helipad and gold décor. The crowd laughed and applauded when he said the White House looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” On X, Obama endorsed Acton and Brown and urged votes at IWillVote.com/OH, saying turnout for Democrats might mark the country moving in a better direction. Later in Detroit he campaigned for Abdul El-Sayed against Mike Rogers. He said the president chose bad decisions, including an unnecessary war nobody asked for, and mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over troop jawlines and testosterone comments. Midterms are November 3, 2026. Brown faces Sen. Jon Husted; Acton faces Vivek Ramaswamy. Polls cited suggest Democrats could regain the House but face a tighter Senate race. A wire note says renovations’ stated purposes include space for large official events and upgrading White House grounds.