Treasury Secretary Bessent Mocks Obama Over Cheesecake Factory Comments
Scott Bessent responded to Barack Obama's remarks about White House renovations by visiting a Cheesecake Factory.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to the media before joining a plenary session on sovereign debt as world leaders in finance join with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the 2026 G20 Financial meetings on September 1, 2026 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Photograph: KATU (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocked former President Barack Obama.
- Bessent made his remarks while dining at a Cheesecake Factory.
- Obama had previously compared White House renovations to the Cheesecake Factory during a campaign appearance in Ohio.
- Donald Trump also responded to Obama's comments.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 17 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 18 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
45/100
Hype
41/100
18 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 2 of the 17 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocked former President Barack Obama. Bessent made his remarks while at a Cheesecake Factory in Washington, D.C. Obama had previously compared White House renovations to the Cheesecake Factory during a campaign appearance in Ohio. Donald Trump also responded to Obama's comments.
Disagreement on Bessent's specific remarks
While multiple outlets reported that Scott Bessent mocked Barack Obama, the specific content of Bessent's remarks varied. KATU reported Bessent said, "This is the man who built the museum that looks like Darth Vader’s tomb," and that the "Martha’s Vineyard set" should try the Cheesecake Factory. Geller Report quoted Bessent saying, "This is the man who built the museum that looks like Darth Vader’s tomb... I had a great meal, and I would tell the Martha's Vineyard set to give it a try." Other reports stated Bessent made fun of Obama after the former president's comments comparing White House renovations to the Cheesecake Factory.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention Donald Trump's response to Obama's comments. None of the centre-rated digests mention Donald Trump's response to Obama's comments. None of the right-rated digests mention Donald Trump's response to Obama's comments.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 27 Oct 2026, 17:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
2 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports focused on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's actions and the context surrounding them. We Got This Covered highlighted Bessent leaving a Cheesecake Factory and then speaking critically about Obama, noting the moment was recorded by Fox Business. Raw Story described Bessent's visit to the restaurant as a "stunt" by a "multi-millionaire Treasury Secretary" and noted that it occurred while the Trump administration was reacting to Obama's joke.
Centre
5 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports led with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocking former President Barack Obama following Obama's comments about White House renovations. KATU and News 4 San Antonio reported that Bessent made his remarks while at a Cheesecake Factory and quoted Bessent saying, "This is the man who built the museum that looks like Darth Vader’s tomb," and that the "Martha’s Vineyard set" should try the restaurant. KFOX and KDBC stated that Bessent made fun of Obama after the former president's comments comparing White House renovations to the Cheesecake Factory.
Right
10 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports focused on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's response to Barack Obama's comments. WCIV, WRGB, KRNV, WCYB, WLOS, WHP, WHAM, and KDBC reported that Bessent made fun of Obama after the former president compared White House renovations to the Cheesecake Factory. Geller Report framed Bessent's actions as a "knockout served cold" after Obama's "elitist sneer," quoting Bessent saying, "This is the man who built the museum that looks like Darth Vader’s tomb... I had a great meal, and I would tell the Martha's Vineyard set to give it a try." RSBN reported that Bessent had the "perfect response" to Obama's comments.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Treasury Secretary Bessent Mocks Obama Over Cheesecake Factory Comments?
- Of the 17 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 12% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 59% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 18. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Treasury Secretary Bessent Mocks Obama Over Cheesecake Factory Comments left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 17 rated outlets on this story, 12% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 59% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Treasury Secretary Bessent Mocks Obama Over Cheesecake Factory Comments biased?
- Treasury Secretary Bessent Mocks Obama Over Cheesecake Factory Comments is one event reported by 18 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Treasury Secretary Bessent Mocks Obama Over Cheesecake Factory Comments?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Treasury Secretary Bessent Mocks Obama Over Cheesecake Factory Comments?
- 18 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent say about Barack Obama?
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocked former President Barack Obama. Bessent made his remarks while dining at a Cheesecake Factory. Some reports quote Bessent saying, "This is the man who built the museum that looks like Darth Vader’s tomb," and suggesting the "Martha’s Vineyard set" try the restaurant.
- What prompted Scott Bessent's remarks?
- Scott Bessent's remarks were a response to comments made by former President Barack Obama. Obama had compared recent White House renovations under President Trump to a Cheesecake Factory during a campaign appearance in Ohio.
- Did Donald Trump respond to Obama's comments?
- Yes, Donald Trump responded to Barack Obama's comments. Trump told reporters that Obama's comparison of the White House renovations to a Cheesecake Factory showed why he was a "lousy president."
Read it at the source
18 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
2- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent goes to a Washington Cheesecake Factory. Then he stands outside and mocks former President Obama (opens We Got This Covered in a new tab)
We Got This Covered — is We Got This Covered biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘Common man’ Scott Bessent’s Cheesecake Factory stunt filleted on MS NOW (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
Raw Story — is Raw Story biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Centre
5- Bessent Takes Shot At Obama, Dines At Cheesecake Factory, As Stock Is Up 120% This Year (opens 24/7 Wall St. in a new tab)
24/7 Wall St. — is 24/7 Wall St. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens KDBC in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens KFOX in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens News 4 San Antonio in a new tab)
News 4 San Antonio — is News 4 San Antonio biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens KATU in a new tab)
Right
10- PRICELESS: Bessent Proudly Dines at Cheesecake Factory After Obama’s Elitist Sneer: Tells Him and "Martha's Vineyard Set to Give It a Try” (opens Geller Report in a new tab)
Geller Report — is Geller Report biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens WEAR in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens WHAM in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens WHP in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens WLOS in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens WCYB in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens KRNV in a new tab)
- Secretary Bessent mocks Obama following the former president's Cheesecake Factory comment (opens WRGB in a new tab)
Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

