Former President Barack Obama ridiculed President Donald Trump’s extensive renovations of the White House during a Democratic campaign rally in Cleveland today, comparing the president’s decorating preferences to those of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and mocking the gold accents and major construction projects undertaken during Trump’s second term.

Speaking at Cleveland Public Auditorium on October 24, Obama delivered the remarks while campaigning for Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, with the midterm elections just 10 days away.

The former president used the appearance to criticize Trump’s priorities, arguing that the administration has devoted considerable attention to changes at the presidential residence while Americans contend with economic concerns and other national challenges.

“I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations,” Obama said. “He should be on HGTV.”

Obama then listed several of the president’s projects, including construction of a new White House ballroom, alterations to the Rose Garden, and the installation of an upgraded helicopter landing area on the South Lawn.

He reserved his sharpest remark for Trump’s preference for elaborate gold-colored furnishings and decorative finishes.

“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama quipped.

The comparison drew attention to the president’s decorating style, which has featured prominent gold detailing in several White House rooms.

Trump’s renovation program, however, has involved more than aesthetic changes, with the administration arguing that several projects address longstanding operational needs at the presidential complex.

One of the most visible alterations was the transformation of the Rose Garden in 2025.

Under Trump’s direction, the garden’s central grass lawn was replaced with limestone paving, creating a patio designed to accommodate outdoor receptions, presidential speeches, and other official gatherings.

The traditional rose plantings were preserved along the garden’s perimeter, while the redesigned central area provides a more durable surface for events involving large numbers of guests.

The administration has presented the changes as a practical improvement to an outdoor space frequently used for White House functions.

Trump also oversaw construction of a new granite helipad on the White House grounds, incorporating the presidential seal into the landing surface.

The upgraded facility was unveiled in September, with official White House photographs showing Marine One using the new landing area during a September 21 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The helipad project was designed to modernize the area used for presidential helicopter arrivals and departures.

Another major undertaking is the construction of a permanent White House ballroom, intended to provide expanded facilities for large official gatherings.

For decades, the White House has relied on temporary tents and other arrangements to accommodate events that exceed the capacity of its existing indoor reception spaces.

The Trump administration has argued that a purpose-built ballroom would provide a more secure and practical setting for state dinners, receptions, and other functions requiring substantial guest capacity.

A National Park Service environmental assessment of the project noted that the need for additional White House event space had been identified in a planning document dating back to 2000.

The ballroom has nevertheless become a prominent subject of political controversy, with critics questioning its scale, design, and impact on the historic presidential complex.

Obama’s criticism of Trump’s construction projects also comes amid scrutiny of the former president’s own major building project in Chicago.

The Obama Presidential Center, constructed in Jackson Park, has faced criticism over its distinctive granite-clad tower, substantial construction expenses, and years of delays.

Some architectural critics have nicknamed the structure the ‘Obamalisk,’ a reference to its imposing, monument-like appearance.

The center’s projected construction costs have reportedly exceeded $1 billion, nearly three times the original estimate of approximately $350 million.

The project has also generated disputes involving subcontractors who allege they are owed millions of dollars for completed work.

Separately, public infrastructure improvements associated with the development have involved hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded expenditures beyond the center’s own construction budget.

The comparison between the two presidential construction projects has become part of the broader political debate over the costs and design choices associated with high-profile presidential developments.

Obama’s remarks were not limited to the White House renovations. He also criticized Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran, blaming the administration’s military decisions for increased energy costs and accusing the president of involving the United States in a conflict that Americans had not sought.

“Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for,” Obama said.

The former president also defended the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and world powers during his administration, arguing that the arrangement had prevented Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“Iran didn’t have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place that everybody knows kept them from getting nukes,” Obama claimed.

Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in 2018, maintaining that its restrictions were inadequate and that the arrangement failed to address important threats posed by Tehran.

The president argued that the deal’s temporary limitations on Iran’s nuclear activities, combined with its failure to adequately confront the country’s ballistic missile development and support for terrorist organizations, made it unacceptable.

Under the agreement, Iran received relief from international sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program and a system of international inspections.

Inspectors reported Iranian compliance with certain provisions before the American withdrawal, although Tehran subsequently increased uranium enrichment beyond the agreement’s established limits.

The two presidents have long disagreed over the agreement’s effectiveness, with Obama defending it as a diplomatic achievement and Trump maintaining that it provided Iran with financial benefits without sufficiently eliminating its long-term nuclear ambitions.

Obama also criticized the administration’s broader economic policies, arguing that decisions made by Trump have contributed to higher costs for American consumers.

He took aim at the president’s immigration enforcement measures and accused Republican lawmakers of failing to adequately challenge administration policies.

During the Cleveland appearance, Obama additionally criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over a campaign advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton.

The advertisement, which addresses Acton’s personal background, has drawn criticism from some Republicans as well as Democrats. Ramaswamy and his supporters have defended the campaign’s approach.

Obama’s Ohio appearance was part of a broader series of campaign events intended to support Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 elections.

Following the Cleveland rally, he traveled to Detroit, where he appeared in support of Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and other Michigan Democrats.

During that appearance, Obama continued his criticism of Trump’s economic record, tariffs, the Iran conflict, and White House renovation projects.

He is also scheduled to campaign in Georgia next week as Democrats seek to increase voter participation in the closing days before Election Day.

In Ohio, Acton is challenging Ramaswamy for the governorship, while Brown is attempting to return to the Senate by unseating Republican Sen. Jon Husted.

Brown previously represented Ohio in the Senate before losing his reelection bid in 2024.

Obama carried Ohio in both of his successful presidential campaigns, winning the state in 2008 and again in 2012.

The state’s presidential voting patterns subsequently shifted, with Trump carrying Ohio in 2016, 2020, and 2024.