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Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, is just one of several companies that have said they will be forced to pass on the costs of President Trump’s global tariffs to consumers.
May 17, 2025Updated 11:06 p.m. ET
President Trump scolded Walmart on Saturday after the retail giant warned that his tariffs would force it to raise prices, writing on social media that the discount chain could afford to absorb the costs of the new import taxes without passing them on to customers.
“Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media site. “Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected.”
He called on Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, to “EAT THE TARIFFS” and keep prices down. “I’ll be watching, and so will your customers,” he wrote.
Mr. Trump’s attempt to bully Walmart into keeping its prices steady came as the president, who campaigned on a pledge to prevent inflation, is working to keep his tumultuous trade policy from driving up prices.
Walmart, which sells a broad selection of affordable goods to millions of Americans, said on Thursday that Mr. Trump’s tariffs, even at their recently reduced levels, would soon force it to start raising prices.
“We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible,” Walmart’s chief executive, Doug McMillon, said on a call with analysts. But he cautioned that the company would not be able to “absorb all the pressure” imposed by the tariffs.
