Obama Mocks Trump

Former President Barack Obama appears to have found something to joke about when it comes to President Donald Trump’s increasingly gold-accented White House.

Obama recently poked fun at one of the changes made to the Oval Office during a cameo for HBO Max’s “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” a comedy series starring Larry David. In a promotional clip released Monday, Obama visits a replica of the Oval Office created for the show.

The mock Oval Office was designed to resemble the room as it looked during Obama’s presidency. As he looked around, the former president complimented the production team on the recreation, even noticing a bowl of apples placed on a coffee table — a familiar detail from his time in the White House.

But Obama soon shifted his attention to something that was missing.

He joked that the replica did not include a gold-colored sign identifying the room as the “Oval Office” near the entrance.

The remark drew laughter from the crew.

Obama then jokingly suggested that he should have thought of adding one himself.

The comment was a clear reference to changes made to the White House during Trump’s presidency. Images of a gold-lettered “The Oval Office” sign near the entrance of the presidential workspace surfaced publicly last year.

The sign was part of a broader series of decorative changes Trump has made around the White House. Gold-colored details have been added to portions of the Oval Office, including areas around the ceiling, fireplace and doorways.

Trump has defended the more lavish appearance, saying the White House needed “a little life” when asked about the gold additions by Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

The changes have become part of a larger debate surrounding Trump’s approach to renovating and redesigning portions of the White House complex.

Among the more significant projects is a planned ballroom that involves the removal of the East Wing. The project has faced legal challenges as questions continue over the scope and approval of the work.

Trump has also overseen changes to the Rose Garden, transforming portions of the lawn into a more formal patio-style area. Another project, a “Presidential Walk of Fame,” has been established along the White House colonnade.

Obama’s joke adds a lighter moment to an otherwise contentious discussion about how presidents choose to alter one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.

While Trump’s supporters have praised efforts to make the White House more impressive and personalized, critics have questioned whether some of the changes go too far. Obama’s latest remarks suggest the former president is willing to take a few shots at his successor’s decorating choices — even when the subject is a television comedy set.