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Obama criticizes White House response to his Cheesecake Factory joke at Georgia rally

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 6 outlets across the spectrum.

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Gray-haired man in light blue shirt gesturing with both hands while speaking at a podium microphone.
Image via The Daily BeastHow images are chosenReport this image

Former President Barack Obama spoke at a Wednesday campaign rally in Georgia in support of Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff, according to The Guardian, The Hill and the Daily Mail. The Hill and The Guardian quote Obama saying Republicans and the White House mounted a whole-of-government response to his joke, “not to inflation, but to that joke.” The joke likened White House decor to Saddam Hussein decorating a Cheesecake Factory, and Obama said Trump was more upset by the Cheesecake remark than by the Saddam comparison. Obama also said Donald Trump and the Republican party are “not serious people.” Business Insider reports that Obama defended his Cheesecake Factory credentials after backlash from Republicans and the White House.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Obama spoke at a Wednesday campaign rally in Georgia backing Jon Ossoff for Senate.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Daily Mail

  2. Obama said Republicans and the White House mounted a whole-of-government response to his joke, not to inflation.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill
    Right
    Daily Mail

  3. Obama’s joke likened White House decor to Saddam Hussein decorating a Cheesecake Factory.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, Business Insider
    Right
    Daily Mail

  4. Obama said Trump and the Republican party are not serious people.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    The Hill

  5. Obama framed the rally as a closing argument for Democrats before next week’s midterm election.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  6. Obama defended his Cheesecake Factory credentials after backlash from Republicans and the White House.

    One outletBusiness Insider· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports Obama, campaigning in Georgia, mocked the White House’s response to his Cheesecake Factory joke. The left and center stress his charge that Republicans are not serious, while the right stresses Trump’s upset.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    The Guardian’s headline quotes Obama’s words on the joke and says he laughs off Trump attacks; Business Insider’s highlights his Cheesecake Factory remark.

    ‘They mobilized a whole government response to that joke’: Obama Loaded verb“laughs off”The verb suggests Obama dismissed Trump’s attacks as a joke, which is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice.More neutral: responds toDisagree with this highlight? Trump attacks in rally for Ossoff
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline puts Obama’s criticism first, saying he knocks the White House’s response and calls Republicans not serious, and its description stresses the economy.

    Obama Loaded verb“knocks”The verb presents Obama’s remarks as a sharp rebuke rather than describing what he said.More neutral: responds toDisagree with this highlight? White House's response to Cheesecake Factory jab: 'These are not serious people'
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    2 outlets

    The Daily Mail’s headline frames the event as Obama mocking Trump’s reaction, and quotes Obama saying Trump was very upset.

    Obama Loaded verb“mocks”The verb judges Obama’s remarks as ridicule rather than describing what he said.More neutral: comments onDisagree with this highlight? Trump for 'mobilizing whole government' to respond to his Cheesecake Factory joke: 'He was very upset'
    Daily MailRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    laughs off

  • Center2

    slammingknocks

  • Right1

    mocks

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    mocksMore neutral: comments on

    The verb judges Obama’s remarks as ridicule rather than describing what he said.

    Obama mocks Trump for 'mobilizing whole government' to respond to his Cheesecake Factory joke: 'He…

    Used byDaily Mail (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    slammingMore neutral: criticizing

    The verb presents Obama’s criticism as an attack rather than describing what he said.

    …over a recent campaign trail jab at President Trump’s White House decorations, slamming Republicans for focusing more on the joke than on the economy.

    Used byThe Hill (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    knocksMore neutral: responds to

    The verb presents Obama’s remarks as a sharp rebuke rather than describing what he said.

    Obama knocks White House's response to Cheesecake Factory jab: 'These are not serious people'

    Used byThe Hill (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    laughs offMore neutral: responds to

    The verb suggests Obama dismissed Trump’s attacks as a joke, which is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice.

    ‘They mobilized a whole government response to that joke’: Obama laughs off Trump attacks in rally for Ossoff

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Obama’s mocking of the White House response
  • Obama’s ‘not serious’ charge
  • Democrats’ closing campaign argument
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • Business InsiderLeft

    Obama says The Cheesecake Factory was his 'jam' — and that Trump was less offended by being compared to Saddam Hussein

    Obama defended his Cheesecake Factory credentials after his joke about Trump's decor sparked backlash from Republicans and the White House.

    Read at Business Insider (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeft

    ‘They mobilized a whole government response to that joke’: Obama Loaded verb“laughs off”The verb suggests Obama dismissed Trump’s attacks as a joke, which is a judgement the headline makes in its own voice.More neutral: responds toDisagree with this highlight? Trump attacks in rally for Ossoff

    Former US president comes to Georgia to support Jon Ossoff for US Senate and Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor Barack Obama, speaking at a Wednesday campaign rally in suburban Atlanta, offered a closing argument for Democrats in the final week of the midterm election campaign. …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Obama Skewers Trump’s Meltdown at Cheesecake Factory Jibe

    Barack Obama is now mocking Donald Trump over his and his sycophants’ days-long meltdown over a Cheesecake Factory joke. Obama mocked Trump’s redecoration of the White House in a rally last week, saying it looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory, just gold …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Obama’s criticism of the White House response
  • Republicans focusing on the joke over the economy
  • The ‘not serious people’ charge
See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Obama Loaded verb“knocks”The verb presents Obama’s remarks as a sharp rebuke rather than describing what he said.More neutral: responds toDisagree with this highlight? White House's response to Cheesecake Factory jab: 'These are not serious people'

    Former President Obama on Wednesday responded to uproar over a recent campaign trail jab at President Trump’s White House decorations, Loaded verb“slamming”The verb presents Obama’s criticism as an attack rather than describing what he said.More neutral: criticizingDisagree with this highlight? Republicans for focusing more on the joke than on the economy. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Trump’s upset over the Cheesecake Factory joke
  • Obama mocking the whole-government response
See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Obama says he was a Cheesecake Factory regular for a decade in retort to Trump

    Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday continued an unusual war of words over the Cheesecake Factory with President Donald Trump, marking the latest development in a battle over White House renovations that turned into a debate about the restaurant. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • Daily MailRight

    Obama Loaded verb“mocks”The verb judges Obama’s remarks as ridicule rather than describing what he said.More neutral: comments onDisagree with this highlight? Trump for 'mobilizing whole government' to respond to his Cheesecake Factory joke: 'He was very upset'

    Former President Barack Obama took the stage in Georgia to campaign for Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, with a fresh attack against President Donald Trump.

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    31 min later

    Its first report, Oct 28, 9:59 PM EDT

  • Center

    15 min later

    Its first report, Oct 28, 9:44 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    Daily Mail, Oct 28, 9:29 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Daily MailRightOct 28, 9:29 PM EDT
  2. The HillCenterOct 28, 9:44 PM EDT
  3. The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 28, 9:59 PM EDT
  4. The GuardianLeftOct 28, 10:12 PM EDT
  5. Business InsiderLeftOct 28, 10:13 PM EDT
  6. Washington ExaminerRightOct 28, 10:57 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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