Walmart announces summer price cuts, while company statement does not cite the Trump administration

Walmart on Monday said it will lower prices this summer across groceries, household essentials, outdoor items, toys and apparel, but the retailer’s statement did not describe any Trump administration involvement. The announcement came after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Walmart would cut prices “at my Administration’s request” as part of the U.S. “250th birthday” celebration.

In its company release, Walmart said the lower prices are “designed to help customers and members make the most of the season while spending less on the products they need, want and love most.” The release also indicated that the lower prices were in effect as of last week, according to a Walmart source cited by reporters covering the announcement.

The price changes Walmart described include an 11.9 percent reduction for a pound of ground beef, a 63.2 percent decline for corn on the cob, and a 49.6 percent decrease for a 2.25-pound bag of red cherries. For Sam’s Club, the retailer said it is lowering the per-pound price of bone-in chicken wings by more than 30 percent, as well as reducing the price of beef hot dogs by 16.2 percent and ground beef by 3.2 percent.

Walmart’s release said Sam’s Club would lower prices on more than 250 items this summer. It also featured comments from the retailer’s executive vice president and chief merchant, Julie Barber, who said in the company statement that customers can “count on Walmart to deliver the value they need every day,” and referenced the company’s “investments in price.”

Trump’s Monday social media post asserted that Walmart, which he described as a major retailer, would be lowering prices “by a lot” at the administration’s request. He also named ground beef as an example, saying Walmart would drop the price for a pound of ground beef by almost 15 percent, among other products.

Reporters noted that Walmart’s public statement made no mention of interactions with the White House or other administration entities, even as the president linked the move to his administration’s request. Walmart also did not publicly comment on Trump’s account of the reason for the price cuts, according to coverage that reviewed the retailer’s announcement and compared it with the president’s post.