A Walmart store in Oceanside, California, U.S., May 15, 2025. Mike Blake | Reuters
So, last month, Walmart was all like, “Oh, these tariffs won’t really affect us that much, we’ve been through tough times before.” CEO Doug McMillon was all chill about it, and the international business CEO didn’t even bring up the whole trade situation during a panel discussion. Fast forward to now, and Walmart is singing a different tune. They’re warning everyone that higher tariffs mean higher prices for customers.
John David Rainey, the CFO, told CNBC that, yeah, they like low prices and all, but these tariff increases are just too much for any retailer to handle. And you know what happened next? Trump, being Trump, took to social media to tell Walmart to “EAT THE TARIFFS.” Classic Trump move, right?
The whole back-and-forth between Walmart and the White House is just another example of how businesses are trying to keep everyone happy in this crazy trade policy rollercoaster. But hey, at least corporate leaders are speaking out more about Trump’s policies, especially when it comes to tariffs. Joanna Piacenza from Gravity Research thinks it’s because they can tie it directly to their business bottom line. Can’t really say the same for other controversial topics out there right now.
Walmart fired back with their own statement, basically saying they’re still committed to keeping prices low. They even mentioned that they’re just trying to be transparent with customers and investors about why prices might go up. Other companies like Microsoft and Subaru have also warned about price hikes due to tariffs, but Home Depot decided to go against the grain and said they’ll try to keep prices steady.
Now, Trump isn’t too happy about Walmart’s warnings. He’s out here saying they made billions last year, so they should just suck it up and not charge customers more. But hey, when has Trump ever been one to back down from a Twitter feud, right?
Walmart’s not alone in this whole tariff mess. Delta Air Lines and JPMorgan Chase, both big Trump supporters in the past, are now speaking out against the tariffs. It’s like a total 180 from what they were saying before. Delta even had to cut back on their growth plans because of all this trade policy uncertainty.
But hey, at least Walmart is being upfront about the whole situation. They’re not mincing words and are laying it all out there for everyone to see. They might not be the only ones facing this issue, but with their huge reach and customer base, they’re better equipped to handle the heat than most.
So, what’s next for Walmart and other retailers? Who knows. But one thing’s for sure, customers will be keeping a close eye on prices in the coming days. Will they blame the White House for higher prices, or will they point fingers at the companies? Only time will tell.
