U.S. News
Trump’s Grocery Claim Gets Reality‑Checked
By Jake Beardslee · November 15, 2025
President Donald Trump is pointing to Walmart’s annual Thanksgiving promotion as evidence that he has lowered the cost of living, claiming the holiday meal is now “25% lower” than it was under President Joe Biden. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “2025 Thanksgiving dinner under Trump is 25% lower than 2024 Thanksgiving dinner under Biden, according to Walmart.”
Trump linked the deal to what he described as stronger Republican economic leadership, writing, “My cost are lower than the Democrats on everything, especially oil and gas! So the Democrats ‘affordability’ issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!” He repeated the same claim at a White House event, saying, “They came out and they said Trump’s Thanksgiving dinner — same things — is 25% less than Biden’s. … We are the ones that have done a great job on affordability, not the Democrats.” He framed the promotion as proof that his administration had delivered lower prices, despite the lack of new inflation data due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Shortly after the White House reposted Trump’s remarks to X, users added a Community Note disputing the claim. The note cited Walmart’s own press releases and pointed out key omissions: the 2025 Thanksgiving bundle contains only 15 items compared to 21 last year, and several national-brand items were swapped for cheaper Great Value store-brand substitutes. The correction emphasized that the price drop does not represent a direct comparison of the same products. Trump nevertheless repeated the same claim later, again describing the deal as evidence that “affordability” had improved under his administration.
The 25% price reduction stems from Walmart’s holiday marketing strategy rather than broader economic trends. On October 21, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner told Good Morning America that the company was lowering the cost of its promotional Thanksgiving meal “by an overall 25%” to provide “value” to customers facing higher prices. With the shutdown halting monthly consumer price index updates, Walmart’s seasonal pricing cannot substitute for national inflation data. The last CPI report, released in September, showed food prices rising 3.1% year-over-year.
Polling indicates that Americans remain unconvinced that prices have improved. A late October Washington Post–ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 59% of adults blame Trump either “a great deal” or “a good amount” for current inflation levels. Seven in ten respondents said they are paying more for groceries than a year earlier, with that view shared across party lines. Federal data echoes those concerns: uncooked poultry rose 0.6% over the past year, canned fruits and vegetables climbed 5%, and potatoes increased 3.7%, while only a few staples, such as eggs and butter, saw slight declines.