By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that renovating and maintaining the White House helps him relax, pushing back against criticism of his construction projects from former President Barack Obama.

Speaking at a rally in Corinth, Mississippi, Trump described himself as skilled in real estate and renovation, saying he takes pride in improving buildings while keeping costs down.

“I’m really good in real estate and fixing things. I fix things very good, very beautifully, and I always build beautiful and inexpensive,” Trump told the crowd.

He added that renovation comes naturally to him and serves as a way to unwind, saying, “It actually relaxes me.”

Trump’s remarks followed comments by Obama over the weekend, in which the former president compared the White House renovations to something that looked as though “Saddam Hussein opened up a Cheesecake Factory.”

Responding to the criticism, Trump defended the comparison by pointing out that Cheesecake Factory is a successful company, suggesting that Obama’s remarks reflected a dislike of successful businesses.

Trump also claimed that the White House was in “horrible condition” when he returned to office, saying that plaster was falling from the building’s exterior and decorative features around several windows had become damaged or partially detached.

He explained that workers had created molds from the remaining intact ornaments and used them to restore the damaged sections, insisting that the work had left the building looking beautiful.

Addressing the ballroom under construction in the White House’s East Wing, Trump said he would have pursued the project during his first term but claimed he had been occupied with what he described as attacks from “radical lunatics.”

Trump concluded by emphasizing the symbolic importance of the presidential residence, describing the White House as “a symbol of America” and arguing that it must be properly maintained.