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Walmart announced on Monday summer discounts on more than 250 items in its stores and at Sam's Club, but the official statement from the company made no mention of the Donald Trump administration as a factor in that business decision, according to a report by the agency AP.
Hours after the network published its announcement, President Trump hurried to claim credit on Truth Social, stating that the reduction had occurred at the express request of his administration.
The discrepancy between both versions generated extensive media coverage in the United States.
What Trump said
In his post on Truth Social on Monday, the president wrote:
"I was just informed that Walmart, one of the largest, best, and smartest retail chains in the United States, will significantly lower its prices at the request of my administration to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our great nation. Walmart, in particular, will reduce the price of a pound of ground beef by almost 15%, among many other products."
Trump also attacked his predecessor: "My administration is lowering the prices that Joe Biden incompetently raised during the worst inflation crisis in history, a total disaster along with the southern border, the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, and many other failures."
And he concluded with a call to the sector: “Walmart is taking a bold and decisive step forward, and other retail chains should follow the example of these patriots.”
What Walmart says
The company's official statement described the discounts as an initiative of its own.
They clarified that the discounts “aim to help customers and partners make the most of the summer season”, without mentioning the White House at any point.
Julie Barber, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for Walmart in the United States, stated that "customers rely on Walmart to deliver the value they need every day, and summer is no exception."
Furthermore, as reported by The Hill, a source close to the company confirmed that the lower prices had already been in effect since the week prior to Trump's announcement, contradicting the narrative that the reduction was a response to his request.
The specific discounts
According to data published by Forbes, a basket of nine products from Walmart's announcement decreased by 25%, from $73.42 to $54.70.
Among the most notable discounts: the pound of ground beef dropped by 11.9%, from $6.74 to $5.94, returning to levels of a year ago; corn on the cob decreased by 63.2%; and red cherries by 49.6%.
Prices were also reduced on ice cream, potato chips, and Coca-Cola and Pepsi products.
At Sam's Club, chicken wings dropped by more than 30%, beef hot dogs by 16.2%, and ground beef by 3.2%.
The context: Inflation and a tense prior relationship between Trump and Walmart
Trump's move comes at a time of intense inflationary pressure.
Consumer price inflation has accumulated 4.2% over the past 12 months, far exceeding the 3% that the president inherited upon taking office, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The war with Iran, which began at the end of February 2026, caused oil prices to surge by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, worsening the issue.
The relationship between Trump and Walmart has been contradictory.
In May 2025, when the chain announced it would raise prices due to tariffs, Trump demanded on Truth Social that the company "bite the bullet."
"Walmart should stop trying to blame tariffs as the reason for raising prices across the board. Between Walmart and China, they should, as the saying goes, 'absorb the tariffs' and not pass any costs onto their valued customers."
Now, a little over a year later, Trump is trying to present the drop in prices as his own achievement.
Walmart has been systematically implementing price cuts: in the first fiscal quarter, it recorded 7,200 active "rollbacks", a 20% increase compared to the previous year, as explained by Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey to Yahoo Finance last May.
"The best return we can get for every dollar of capital right now is to invest it in the customer. So we are going to prioritize investment in prices," Rainey stated.
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