Trump challenges Walmart "swallow the tariffs!" Opposes passing price increases onto consumers.

Recently, U.S. President Trump made a strong response to comments from American retail giant Walmart regarding price increases due to tariff hikes. He posted on the social media platform Truth Social, stating that Walmart and China should "absorb the tariffs" instead of passing the costs onto consumers. This war of words surrounding tariff policies and corporate pricing strategies has once again sparked widespread attention from the market and the public.

Walmart warns of price increase pressure due to difficult-to-digest tariff costs.

Walmart's CFO John David Rainey stated in an interview with CNBC this week that the current price pressures are unprecedented, saying, "We have never seen price increases occurring at this speed and magnitude, making the retail environment more challenging."

He pointed out that despite the reduction of tariffs on Chinese imported goods from the originally announced level, currently only 30% is being charged during the 90-day grace period, while imported goods from several other countries still face a 10% tariff. This has put significant pressure on Walmart, which imports a large number of electronic products, toys, and agricultural products (such as avocados and bananas).

Trump: Don't blame the tariffs, you should absorb the costs yourself.

Trump immediately issued a statement on Truth Social, criticizing Walmart for raising prices under the guise of tariffs. He wrote, "Walmart should stop using tariffs as an excuse to raise prices. Walmart and China should both 'absorb the tariffs' and not pass the extra costs on to precious customers. I'll be watching you, and so will the customers!"

This statement not only reflects Trump's insistence on the tariff policies promoted by his administration, but also highlights his views on whether large corporations should absorb the costs of these policies.

Walmart responds: We do our best to keep prices low.

In response to Trump's accusations, Walmart emphasized its consistent stance: "We have always been working to keep prices at the lowest levels, and we will continue to do so as long as the retail profit structure allows."

Rainey also added that the company is currently working with suppliers to try to share some costs in order to reduce the impact on consumers. He said, "Our goal is to make prices more appealing than our competitors, especially during times when consumers are budgeting carefully."

The price increase wave is not just affecting Walmart; the technology and automotive industries are also impacted.

Walmart is not the only company considering a price increase due to tariffs. Microsoft announced earlier this month that it would raise the suggested retail prices for Xbox consoles and some controllers; toy giant Mattel plans to move production out of China but still expects toy prices to rise; and automaker Ford has also warned that some car models will face pricing pressure.

This series of corporate actions highlights the broad impact of tariff policies on import-oriented industries in the United States.

The market response is calm, and Walmart's stock price rose slightly.

Despite facing a situation intertwined with rising prices and political pressure, Walmart maintains its forecast for annual sales unchanged, but has chosen not to provide guidance on earnings and operating profit for the second fiscal quarter, citing the frequent changes in tariff policies by the Trump administration, which has led to an unclear outlook.

As of Friday's close (local time), Walmart's stock price rose by 2%, closing at $98.24 per share, indicating that investors temporarily remain confident in the company's ability to meet challenges.

More retail giants will express their stance this week.

As Walmart opens the curtain on discussions about tariff increases, other major retailers such as Target, Home Depot, and Lowe's will also release their financial reports next week, and the outside world is paying attention to how they will assess the actual impact of tariffs on their operations.

Although Trump's statements are strong, in the face of real economic pressure, whether companies can truly "swallow the tariffs" may not be determined solely by the president's words.

This article Trump criticizes Walmart "swallow the tariffs!" Opposes the price increase being passed on to consumers. First appeared in Chain News ABMedia.