Trump claims role in Walmart discounts as retailer cites summer savings
Walmart listed price cuts on groceries and drinks after Trump said the reductions came at his administration’s request, but the retailer did not credit the White House.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
President Donald Trump said Walmart was cutting prices because his administration asked it to, a claim the retailer did not confirm in its own statement. The episode puts a major U.S. retailer at the center of Trump’s effort to answer voter frustration over inflation before the midterm elections.
Trump wrote Monday on social media that Walmart would lower prices “by a lot” at his administration’s request as part of the country’s 250th birthday celebrations. He singled out ground beef, saying the price for a pound would fall by almost 15%, along with reductions on other items.
Walmart’s statement later Monday described the discounts as seasonal rollbacks at Walmart and Sam’s Club intended to help shoppers during the summer. The company did not mention the Trump administration, and it did not publicly address the president’s claim, according to The Associated Press.
The retailer said the lower prices covered items including ground beef, corn, red cherries, ice cream, potato chips and Coca-Cola and Pepsi products.
Inflation pressure frames the dispute
The White House claim came as Trump faces criticism over prices. Consumer prices rose 4.2% over the past 12 months, compared with a 3% inflation rate when Trump took office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Associated Press reported that prices first rose after Trump’s tariffs and later faced pressure after the Iran war began in late February. AP also reported that some pressure may ease after an interim ceasefire deal with Iran helped lower oil prices by allowing more tankers to move through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has tried to shift blame for elevated inflation to Democrats while campaigning ahead of November’s congressional midterms. AP reported that he recently dismissed a bipartisan bill aimed at reducing housing costs as “a yawn” and said he did not know whether he would sign it.
The Walmart claim also sits awkwardly beside Trump’s attacks on Democrats, whom he has described as communists who would intervene in private business, according to AP. In this case, Trump presented a private company’s price cuts as the result of a direct request from his administration.
Walmart has been a recurring target
Walmart has already drawn Trump’s attention over prices and tariffs. In May 2025, Trump told the company on social media that it should “eat” the cost of tariffs he had imposed rather than pass them on to customers.
At the time, Trump accused Walmart of blaming tariffs for price increases and said he would be watching the company, along with its customers. He said Walmart had made billions of dollars the prior year and should not charge shoppers more because of tariff costs.
Walmart has also benefited from the price-sensitive shopping that inflation can create. The company’s quarterly earnings released in May showed that consumers were turning to its stores and website in search of lower prices, according to AP.
For Trump, the public fight over Walmart’s discounts gives him a chance to claim progress on prices. For Walmart, its statement kept the focus on routine summer promotions and avoided endorsing the president’s account.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.