Donald Trump’s latest boast has hit an awkward reality check.
On Sunday, the 80-year-old president appeared to suggest that he was in some way involved in regional supermarket chain Giant Eagle’s decision to reduce or hold prices on more than 300 of the most frequently purchased products across its supermarkets.
“Giant Eagle, like Walmart, is stepping up in a big and bold way to answer my call to lower costs for working families,” he crowed.
However, the grocer actually announced the move on July 9 as part of the company’s “On Sale This Season” pricing initiative, which dates back to September last year. That is part of the grocer’s “Because It Matters” strategy, which aims to keep prices of staples from rising with inflation.
In a statement earlier this month, Justin Weinstein, Giant Eagle’s chief marketing officer, actually referenced the rising prices under Trump. “We know our customers are seeking value in the face of elevated expenses,” he said, launching the summer program.
The Daily Beast contacted Giant Eagle for comment on the president’s claim that the company had supposedly answered his “call” to lower prices.
“We are aware of the president’s message in support of the On Sale This Season pricing initiative Giant Eagle launched on July 9,” a spokesperson for the retailer said in a statement.
“More information about the initiative can be found by reading our announcement press release here. We look forward to this program helping our customers save all summer long.”
Even still, Trump was in a jubilant mood. “Other Grocery Chains must immediately follow the lead of these absolute Patriots at Giant Eagle and Walmart. Together, we will make America stronger and more affordable than ever before, and get rid of the stench and Inflation perpetrated on us by the Dumocrats and the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration!” he wrote.
Giant Eagle, a family-owned pharmacy and food retailer with 197 supermarkets and 11 pharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana, was bought by Kroger in a $1.65 billion deal earlier this month.
Trump’s post about Giant Eagle comes after he appeared to take credit for Walmart’s summer price cuts, boasting that the retail giant was lowering prices “by a lot” at his administration’s request, including a 15 percent reduction in beef prices.
But Walmart later told reporters the discounts had already been in place for a week before Trump’s post and were part of its routine summer “Rollback” promotions.
The White House scrambled to defend the claim, with Senior Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai insisting the administration was helping ensure savings were passed on to consumers, even as Walmart’s own statement made no mention of Trump.
The Wall Street Journal later reported that Agriculture Department officials had urged major grocers to cut beef prices, but Walmart said it had already planned the reductions and had begun implementing them on June 29. The company had also been discussing broader price cuts for months as it anticipated billions of dollars in tariff refunds after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping import levies.
Giant Eagle has been approached for comment.
