Walmart cuts summer prices on thousands of items as Trump takes credit

Walmart said it was cutting prices on thousands of summer items across its stores and Sam’s Club clubs nationwide, with markdowns on beef, grilling essentials, chips, soda, groceries, household essentials, outdoor living, toys and apparel. Donald Trump quickly claimed the move was tied to “my Administration's request to celebrate our great Country's 250th birthday,” even though Walmart’s statement made no mention of the White House or any role by the administration.

The sharpest grocery cut Walmart highlighted was on a 1-pound roll of 73% ground beef, which it said would fall to $5.94 from $6.74, a decline of about 12%. That is smaller than Trump’s description of the cut as “almost 15%.” Sam’s Club said it was lowering prices on more than 250 items, including Member’s Mark 88/12 ground beef at $5.97 a pound, down from $6.17, a 3% drop.

Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Walmart said the summer markdowns were part of its signature Rollbacks and seasonal savings effort, aimed at helping customers save during backyard barbecues, family vacations, pool days and neighborhood gatherings. The retailer also said it was lowering prices on items from Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, extending the campaign beyond meat and barbecue staples into soft drinks and other summer household basics.

The timing lands in a period of record-high beef prices and persistent inflation pressure on shoppers. Walmart had already said it was offering roughly 7,400 temporary price cuts across its assortment and had increased grocery rollbacks by 30% from a year earlier, showing the chain was leaning heavily on discounting before this latest summer push. That makes the cuts look less like a single patriotic promotion and more like a broad retail strategy built around traffic, competition and price-sensitive consumers, even as Trump tries to frame it as a victory for his administration.