Democrats, Get to Walmart

Week in Review: May 18, 2025

Since no Democrats took me up on my plea to go to the Port of Los Angeles several weeks ago, here’s an easier task: Democrats, get yourselves to a Walmart near you.

One exists somewhere in your district, I’m sure. Go stand outside and ask shoppers how they feel about this headline from CNN:

Walmart warns it will raise prices because of tariffs

Here’s the lede:

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, said President Donald Trump’s tariffs are “too high” and it will raise prices on some items as Trump’s global trade war increases the company’s costs.

“We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Thursday on an earnings call.

“The higher tariffs will result in higher prices,” he said.

Tariffs on China are raising costs on electronics and toys, McMillon said, and some food costs are going up from tariffs on Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia.

The price hikes will begin later this month.

“I’m concerned that consumer is going to start seeing higher prices. You’ll begin to see that, likely towards the tail end of this month, and then certainly much more in June,” Walmart finance chief John David Rainey said in an interview with CNBC Thursday.

Remember, McMillon, along with the CEOs of Target and Home Depot, met with Trump in the Oval Office several weeks ago to ask him for relief on tariffs. And Trump did indeed provide some relief. He got rid of the 145% tariff on China and replaced it with a 30% tariff, which was supposed to be a sop to these executives but is more like a mob boss telling you that he won’t kill your entire family — just your wife and one of your five kids.

Walmart is actually in better shape than its competitors. First, it can navigate through volatility better than others, taking a loss on some products to sell higher-end goods at higher prices. Rest assured, Walmart won’t go broke because of these price hikes — consumers will.

Second, only about 15% of the products Walmart makes are Chinese. 60% of its business is groceries, most of which are domestically sourced. So unlike Target, for instance, it can absorb the cost of these tariffs — up to a point.

But, as the Wall Street Journal reports, Walmart’s decision to raise prices has opened the door for everyone else to do it too, and not just in the big box sector. Ford, for instance, will hike sticker prices in late June by up to $2,000 on several popular models produced in Mexico.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said last week it was “easy to see” industrywide price increases thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Nearly half the vehicles sold in the United States are made abroad. Buying a car will grow even more expensive.

Microsoft announced earlier this month that it will be raising the price of its Xbox consoles due to tariffs. Nintendo and Sony have also said that tariffs will adversely impact the costs of its gaming consoles. And Mattel warned that it will be raising prices on toys. It’s going to be a painful holiday season.

This was all predictable. In fact, economists and business leaders consistently warned Trump that it would happen. But despite this, the president believes that the nation’s largest retailer must take a bullet for his complete misunderstanding of freshman-year economics. Fresh off his visit to authoritarian countries where both people and industries bend the knee to their rulers, Trump lashed out at Walmart for daring to hike prices because of his policies (and inadvertently shouted out how well the nations’ largest retailers did thanks to Biden’s economy).

Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, “EAT THE TARIFFS,” and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!

Trump told us repeatedly that China would be paying for the tariffs, not American consumers. If that is the case, how is it that Walmart, an American company, should “eat the tariffs” that China was supposed to pay for?

The media will just paint this nonsense as “Trump being Trump” and go back to yet more coverage of Joe Biden’s mental state. Still, all of it is cold comfort to consumers who will be paying much more for basic goods than they were, by Trump’s own admission, when the supposedly senile Biden was in the Oval Office.

Is this what you voted for, America?

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Further Reading:

Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash

CNN: Walmart warns it will raise prices because of tariffs

CNBC: Walmart CFO says price hikes from tariffs could start later this month, as retailer beats on earnings

The Wall Street Journal: Walmart’s Price Hikes Open Door to Increases From ‘Everybody Else’

The Wall Street Journal: Ford CEO Expects Tariffs to Stick Around for Years

CNBC: Microsoft raises prices of Xbox video game consoles due to ‘market conditions’

Axios: Trump threatens Walmart, demands it "eat the tariffs"

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“When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We're going to bring those prices way down." - Donald Trump, Meet the Press, December 8, 2024.

Below is the most recently available national data on the average price of apples, bacon, and eggs. As you can see, it’s been four months and those prices are not “way down.”

Apples (Honeycrisp, per pound): $2.31 (same as $2.31 when Biden left office)

Bacon (sliced, per pound): $7.009 (April, 2025, up from $6.915 in December, 2024, which was Biden’s last full month in office)

Eggs (Grade A, Large, per dozen): $5.12 (April, 2025, up from $4.15 in December, 2024, which was Biden’s last full month in office)

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Salty Monday:

Salty Tuesday:

Salty Wednesday:

Welcome to Fortress America

Salty Thursday:

Salty Friday:

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Bonus Content:

There was so much bonus content this week for you to enjoy.

On Sunday night, I went to the Webbys pre-party at the Virgin Hotel with

Tara Setmayer

and

Michelle Kinney

, who won a Webby for their amazing spot American Girl — the best ad I have seen in the thirty years that I have been working in politics.

We had the best time hanging out with

Jim Acosta

, Marcus Flowers and a whole bunch of other awesome people. Here’s a snapshot.

Then, on Monday, the same crew went to the Webbys together. The whole night was tons of fun. Here’s a shot from the red carpet.

On Wednesday,

Rep. Jim Himes

joined Over It! to discuss the path forward for House Dems. Spoiler alert: unlike many of his colleagues, Himes gets it. You can check out the conversation here.

On Thursday,

Olga Lautman

and I hosted our weekly episode of Pax Americana, where we discussed the most recent updates on the war in Ukraine, alongside the threat Trump and Putin pose to the western world order. Check it out below.

Also on Thursday,

THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali

joined me to discuss the media’s insane obsession with Joe Biden when the real story should be Trump’s successful efforts to dismantle of our constitutional democracy. If you missed it, please catch it here.

On Friday,

Michelle Kinney

,

Tara Setmayer

and I discussed Trump’s threats against Bruce Springsteen and the First Amendment. If the president can come for The Boss, none of us is safe. You can watch it below.

Thank you for your incredible support. Stay Salty!

Julie