President Donald Trump fumed for days over remarks made by his longtime political foe, former President Barack Obama, about his White House renovation projects. But new reporting adds a financial twist to his sudden enthusiasm for the Cheesecake Factory. Trump bought between $35,007 and $175, 000 worth of stock in the restaurant chain in 2025, as his gaudy, gold-themed White House renovation projects ramped up, according to financial disclosures reviewed by The Daily Beast. Trump’s thinning hair steals the show after a brutal close-up exposes what his combover couldn’t hide. (Photo by HASNOOR HUSSAIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) That puts his defense of the “very successful company” in a different light. Trump was amplifying a beef that kept a company he had invested in at the center of the conversation. If he retained shares, his bruised ego wasn’t the only thing with a potential stake in the attention. During his first rally of the 2026 midterm campaign season in Ohio on Oct. 24, Obama took aim at Trump’s massive renovations at the White House. Black 7-Year-Old Allegedly Reported Abuse from Dad’s Fiancée Months Before Her Death, Now Lawsuit Says Autopsy Found Drugs in Her System ‘Pathetic!’: Texas Homeowner Hangs Dummy Upside Down from Tree, Igniting Fury Over Grim Imagery “What’s up with the gold? More gold!” he joked. “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory!” Obama laughed along with the adoring crowd. Two days later, at a rally in Corinth, Mississippi, on Monday, Trump whined about Obama. “He was very critical of me.” “I’m really good at real estate and fixing things. I fix things very good, beautifully,” Trump insisted. “He said this isn’t a Cheesecake Factory. Can you believe it, which is a very successful company? He doesn’t like successful companies,” Trump said, trying to insult Obama and missing the point entirely. What Trump didn’t mention was his own history of buying stock in that successful company. According to disclosures cited by The Daily Beast, Trump bought shares three times in January and February 2025, each purchase worth between $1,001 and $15,000. He bought two more rounds in March and April, each worth between $15,001 and $50,000, followed by another April purchase worth between $1,001 and $15,000. He also sold shares in May and November 2025, each time worth between $15,001 and $50,000. Those transactions don’t show how much stock, if any, he still held when he turned Obama’s joke into a running defense of the restaurant chain. But the financial connection adds another layer to a feud Trump seems determined to keep alive. The White House, however, says Trump does not control the trades. Spokesman Davis Ingle told The Daily Beast that outside financial institutions independently manage the president’s stock and bond portfolio. He said neither Trump nor his family can direct or influence investment decisions, including when shares are bought or sold. “There are no conflicts of interest,” Ingle told the outlet. Obama fired back at Trump Wednesday during a rally in the Atlanta area. He told an arena full of supporters that Trump is tone deaf and out of touch. “He is doing arts and crafts while we are literally fighting a war and trying to deal with out-of-control prices,” Obama said, referring to all the renovation projects Trump has undertaken in Washington. “Now look, I heard the president was not happy when I joked over the weekend that he’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama chuckled. “First of all, let me get this on the record. I am the father of two daughters. Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory? I lived at Chuck E. Cheese and California Pizza Kitchen and the Cheesecake Factory. That was my jam for about a decade,” Obama told the cheering crowd. “Of course, the real problem is prices have gotten so high, a lot of folks can barely afford to go out to eat. So, you would think this administration would be spending time worrying about that,” he added. But they’re not. Trump is still seething over Obama comparing his gaudy, gilded remake of the White House with the Cheesecake Factory — and giving the restaurant chain another round of publicity in the process. An enraged Trump took to social media the day after Obama’s remarks. Instead of addressing the growing affordability crisis and what his administration is doing to address it, he attacked Obama’s record as president. “Obama was a grossly incompetent President!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. More of the same from an envious Trump who has bashed and tried to insult Obama for more than 15 years now. Social media erupted in glee at Obama’s ability to get under Trump’s skin. “Nobody delivers a political takedown quite like Obama,” a Threads user stated. Another summed it up with one word, “Brilliant!” This commenter pointed out, “He laid down that trap and Trump Republicans walked right into it lol.” Still another noted, “Oooo Trump’s head is going to explode. Obama dropping some bangers in this rally.” In fact, Obama’s “Cheesecake Factory” remark got under Trump’s thin skin so deeply, members of his administration also got involved. On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent showed up at one of the chain’s restaurants in Washington. “I had a great meal, always have a great meal, and I would just tell the Martha’s Vineyard set to give it a try,” Bessent said, according to CNBC. He was referring to the Obamas, who own a home on the affluent Massachusetts island, and their association with its wealthy, high-profile summer community. Another example of a Trump official missing the point: CNBC reported that Bessent, a former hedge fund manager, has an estimated net worth of $600 million. He clearly isn’t someone worried about affording rent and groceries. Bombshell Report May Reveal Why Trump Was So Up in Arms Over Obama’s Brutal Cheesecake Factory Roast, and It’s Tied to His Own Wallet ...read more read less