Meyers mocks Bessent's restaurant visit and praises Obama's comedy
Seth MeyersHost of NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers
Meyers calls Bessent's lunch at the restaurant a stunt, says Bessent is not a regular there and praises Obama's comic material at his rallies.
“It's lame enough that you went there for this stupid stunt, but don't pretend you're there all the time. ... We said it on Monday, we'll say it again, stand up comedy Obama is back.”
Original video
Where this statement fits
Obama compares Trump's White House decor to a Cheesecake Factory; Trump and Bessent push back
Barack Obama compared Donald Trump's White House decor to a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein at two October 24, 2026, campaign rallies, in Cleveland and then Detroit. Both times the line followed a list of Trump's White House projects and came just before Obama said Trump was not focused on lowering prices. Trump answered at an October 26 rally in Mississippi, defending the renovations and saying Obama doesn't like successful companies. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ate lunch at the restaurant that day, said the museum Obama built looks like Darth Vader's tomb and urged the "Martha's Vineyard set" to try it. The exchange prompted disagreement about whether Obama was criticizing ornate decor or expressing contempt for a popular restaurant and its customers. On CNN, Caroline Heldman interpreted the joke as an effort to needle Trump and criticized Bessent's response.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Meyers plays Bessent's restaurant remarks and Obama's Georgia response, then comments on both.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
In his A Closer Look segment, Meyers plays Bessent saying he always orders the French dipped cheeseburger at the restaurant.
After the quotation
Between the two remarks he plays Obama's Georgia line about the press conference at the restaurant, and he follows with his own Obama impression.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Obama's comparison, Meyers ridicules Bessent's response to it and praises Obama's comic delivery, including the follow-up jokes in Georgia. That approval of the joke is a defense of it.
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More from this case
Read the full caseObama cites trips with his daughters while defending the joke
“Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the cheesecake factory?”Read statement
Farah Griffin says critics missed the point of Obama's joke
“He missed the whole point! The comparison was to Saddam Hussein! ... Why are we more offended on behalf of the Cheesecake Factory? What is going on?”Read statement
Heldman interprets Obama's joke as a jab at Trump
“A billionaire talking about ... to attack Barack Obama. ... it's obviously getting under Trump's skin. That is the whole point; that Barack Obama wanted to poke him.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Meyers mocks Bessent's restaurant visit and praises Obama's comedy". First published: 2026-11-01. Last updated: 2026-11-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/7735-meyers-calls-bessent-s-lunch-at-the-restaurant