President Donald Trump praised the grocery chain Giant Eagle on Sunday for lowering prices on “more than 300 products” this summer amid rising costs for Americans—an issue that threatens to punish Republicans in the upcoming midterms.
“Wonderful news! I have just been informed that Giant Eagle, a GREAT American Grocery Company, will be lowering prices, by a lot, across more than 300 products this Summer, through Labor Day, to help hardworking American families,” the president wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“Giant Eagle, like Walmart, is stepping up in a big and bold way to answer my call to lower costs for working families,” Trump added.
News
Giant Eagle’s discount on products such as “meal essentials” and snacks is in effect until September 9. Earlier this month, Walmart and subsidiary Sam’s Club also announced nationwide price cuts over the summer “to help customers make the most” out of the season.
Newsweek contacted Giant Eagle and Walmart for comment by email on Monday outside standard working hours.
US Grocers Lowering Prices Amid Inflation
Stop & Stop
Stop & Stop, a unit of the Dutch supermarket operator Ahold Delhaize, announced in May that it would lower prices on more than a dozen food items in its stores across New Jersey and New York.
The retailer chose the items to be discounted based on their popularity among customers. The price of a rotisserie chicken fell by a dollar to $6.99, and a can of Bumble Bee tuna was reduced from $2.29 to $1.99.
Walmart
On July 6, the nation’s largest retailer announced significant discounts through the summer for “thousands” of its products “across grocery, household essentials, outdoor living, toys and apparel.”
Among the grocer’s discounts on popular products, Walmart highlighted the following:
- 1 lb. 73 percent Ground Beef Roll, Fresh ($5.94, was $6.74)
- Fresh Sweet Corn on the Cob ($0.25 each, was $0.68)
- Fresh Red Cherries 2.25 lb. bag ($5.63, was $11.18)
- Great Value Ice Cream 48 fl. oz. ($2.50, was $2.97)
- Lay’s Classic Potato Chips 8 oz. bag ($2.50, was $2.97)
- Frito-Lay Family Fun Variety Pack, 18-count ($8.97, was $9.97)
- Great Value Disposable Paper Plates, 200-count ($8.97, was $9.97)
- Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 24-packs ($9.97, was $14.97)
- Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and Diet Mountain Dew 24-packs ($9.97, was $13.97)
Sam’s Club is also lowering the price of more than 250 of its products, including these:
- Member’s Mark Bone-In Chicken Wings ($2.00/lb., was $2.88/lb.)
- Member’s Mark Beef Hot Dogs ($10.86, was $12.96)
- Member’s Mark 88/12 Ground Beef ($5.97/lb., was $6.17/lb.)
- Member’s Mark Whole Bone-In Pork Back Ribs ($3.18/lb., was $3.48/lb.)
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle launched its “On Sale This Season” campaign earlier this month, saying prices on more than 300 of its “most frequently purchased products” would be cut by an average of 10 percent through Labor Day.
Key items on sale include the following:
- Certified Angus Beef 75 percent Lean Ground Beef ($5.99/lb., was $6.69/lb.)
- Green and Red Seedless Grapes ($2.49/lb., was $2.99/lb.)
- Family Size Cheez-Its in selected varieties ($5.99 each, was $6.99 each)
- Giant Eagle American Cheese ($6.99/lb., was $7.99/lb.)
- Jif Peanut Butter in selected varieties ($2.99 each, was $3.29 each)
- Smuckers Jelly in selected 30 oz. varieties ($2.99 each, was $4.79 each)
- Evian Water six-packs in selected varieties ($6.99 each, was $10.29 each)
Kroger
While Ohio-headquartered grocer, which operates over 1,000 stores across the U.S., has not yet announced sweeping discounts for the summer, executives have said they will be leaning on price discounts as part of Kroger’s growth strategy and plan to introduce lower prices.
How the Iran War Affects US Inflation
Inflation played a decisive role in Trump’s 2024 presidential victory, as he promised to bring down the cost of living for Americans after the price of goods and services—especially gas—rose under Joe Biden in 2021 and 2022, fueled by pandemic-era supply disruptions.
According to CBS News’ 2024 presidential election exit poll, 75 percent of voters said inflation was a hardship then, and 45 percent believed their financial situation was worse than four years earlier. Of those who told CBS News that the U.S. economy was bad, 69 percent said they would vote for Trump.
In October 2024, Trump said during a campaign event in Wisconsin: “Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again. We’ll do that. We’ve got to bring it down.”
The prices of many goods, including gas, were falling until late February of this year, when the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran. In the weeks following the strikes, the effective chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions to the global oil supply caused a spike in inflation in the U.S.
In April, prices rose at their fastest rate since May 2023, with inflation jumping to 3.8 percent. Annual inflation fell to 3.5 percent in June, still more than 1 percentage point higher than the 2.5 percent Consumer Price Index reported in February.
As prices rose, Trump’s approval rating plunged, hitting a second term low of -20.2 in May, according to Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin. Over the past few weeks, amid a ceasefire with Iran, the president’s popularity improved, but it remains below that of his first term.
Voters’ Economic Gloom Puts GOP at Risk
Recent polling shows that Americans are deeply concerned about rising prices and their financial situations, with a July CNBC All-America Economic Survey showing that 61 percent of the public is pessimistic about the current state of the economy and about the outlook for the future—the highest percentage since December 2023.
Their worries could translate into poor results for Republicans in November, especially if the Trump administration is seen as betraying its promise to improve affordability for everyday Americans.
Trump has encouraged U.S. grocers to follow in the footsteps of Giant Eagle and Walmart and lower prices, as the discounts could give him political credit with the public.
“We will continue to bring Prices DOWN, just like Oil, Gas, Eggs, and Prescription Drugs, all of which are dropping FAST after the disaster we inherited from Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump wrote in his Sunday post. “Other Grocery Chains must immediately follow the lead of these absolute Patriots at Giant Eagle and Walmart.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Shakeema Edwards.
