He wrote, “Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, ‘EAT THE TARIFFS,’ and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!”
While his use of capital letters and punctuation is always wild, Trump clearly doesn’t want to be blamed for reigniting inflation, which he knows damaged Joe Biden’s presidency.
Tariffs are taxes, though, and companies will pass those costs onto customers. Sure, companies may “eat” some of them in an attempt to stay out of Trump’s crosshairs. That will mean lower profits, which will upset investors, especially seniors who count on investments for their income.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went on the Sunday TV news shows and said he’d been assured by Walmart’s CEO that the company will absorb some of the cost. Bessent also said Walmart executives were painting a worst-case picture because federal regulations require publicly traded corporations to disclose all the risks they face.
As he often does when he talks about Trump’s tariffs, Bessent on Sunday looked like he didn’t believe what he was saying, like a kid trying to explain the empty bag after his parents told him not to eat all the cookies.
Bessent and Trump become contradictory and incomprehensible when asked what they’re trying to accomplish with tariffs.
