President Donald Trump bought and sold Cheesecake Factory shares last year before defending the restaurant chain against a jab from Barack Obama, the Daily Beast reported Wednesday.
Financial disclosures reviewed by the outlet show purchases totaling between $35,007 and $175,000 during 2025.
Trump also sold shares twice, with each transaction valued between $15,001 and $50,000, by the end of 2025.
The restaurant became a political talking point after Obama joked that Trump’s White House renovations looked “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Trump responded by calling the chain “a very successful business” and Obama a “stupid person” and “lousy president.”
The MAGA leader’s portfolio has also included Intel, Nvidia and Tesla —companies he has publicly promoted, according to the exclusive report Wednesday.
“Trump has no answers for families staring down higher grocery bills and gas prices, but he always has time to promote a company that pads his portfolio,” Brandon Weathersby, communications director for the progressive group American Bridge 21st Century, told the Daily Beast.
He added that the president “may be thin-skinned when it comes to jokes at his expense, but he’s truly motivated by threats to an investment that is making him money.”
But the White House insisted that Trump does not control the investments.
“Neither President Trump nor any member of his family has any ability to direct, influence, or provide input regarding how the portfolio is invested or when investments are bought or sold,” spokesman Davis Ingle told the outlet.
“All investment decisions are made entirely by independent managers,” he said. “There are no conflicts of interest.”
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