The White House has released a list of companies that are cutting prices or offering other forms of relief to struggling consumers, and arguing that this is thanks to President Donald Trump’s affordability-focused efforts.
In recent weeks, dozens of companies have announced that they have reduced or plan to slash prices this summer. The firms span several sectors and the reasons provided for the cuts vary, though the administration considers it evidence that the private sector has answered “President Trump’s call to lower prices for American families.”
“Across the country, private sector companies are responding to President Trump’s call by delivering tangible price reductions on everyday goods and services,” the White House said in a press release on Thursday.
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However, few of the companies on the list have made any mention of Trump or his policies in related announcements, leading to doubts over whether the president’s wishes have been a motivating factor.
“There is no public evidence establishing that the cuts were caused by the president beyond the White House’s own claim,” David Ortega, a professor in Food Economics & Policy at Michigan State University’s Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, told Newsweek. “The fact that most of these announcements never mention him is very telling.”
Newsweek contacted the White House on Friday morning via email for comment.
Which Companies Are Cutting Prices?
The list includes retailers, drugmakers, automakers and utilities companies. The savings themselves include grocery discounts, prescription-drug price cuts, offers for cheaper gasoline and other ways the White House says companies are “putting money back in the pockets of American workers and families.”
Examples include the supermarket chain Giant Eagle, which announced in July that it would be cutting costs by an average of 10 percent on over “300 of the most frequently purchased products.” Days later, Trump posted that the company had answered his “call to lower costs for working families,” though the company itself said that this was part of a seasonal brand campaign, and reflected its “commitment to better everyday value, better quality and service, and a better overall shopping experience.”
Groceries and Everyday EssentialsPrescription Drugs
The White House said “multiple additional manufacturers” had “agreed to cut prices on key drugs,” crediting this to the Most Favored Nation (MFN) agreements that were struck with the companies.
Energy
- The Freedom Fuel Network
- Georgia Power
- Alliant Energy
- NiSource
- Entergy
- DTE Energy
AutomobilesTrump Takes Credit For Lowering Prices
With few exceptions, the retailers included in the White House roundup did not mention the president or his policies when announcing plans to cut prices, though the president has framed these as a direct response to his affordability-focused efforts.
In July, Walmart said it would be helping customers to “save more with thousands of lower prices through Walmart’s signature Rollbacks and Sam’s Club offers across stores and clubs nationwide.”
“Great news! I have just been informed that one of the biggest, best, and smartest Retailers in America, Walmart, will be lowering prices, by a lot, at my Administration’s request to celebrate our great Country’s 250th birthday,” Trump posted to Truth Social the same day.
While Walmart announced price reductions on 250 items, it did not acknowledge any “request” from the administration to lower costs—which a company spokesperson told The Bulwark was part of a normal “Rollback” event that had commenced the week before Trump’s post.
“Most of this looks like ordinary retail competition rather than policy,” Ortega said of the companies mentioned by the White House. “Shoppers have been trading down for years, and the fastest way to defend traffic and market share is to cut prices on visible staples.”
He added that the timing of these announcements was “consistent with summer and back-to-school promotional activity.”
But the administration has put pressure on retailers to lower prices amid resurgent concerns over inflation, and used the actions of companies like Walmart to get them to follow suit. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Department of Agriculture officials had called retailers including Walmart and Kroger urging them to lower beef prices ahead of the July 4 weekend.
Following the announcements from Walmart and Giant Eagle, President Trump praised the former for “stepping up in a big and bold way,” and said others should “follow the lead of these absolute Patriots.”
And Ortega acknowledged that there “may be some upside for a company in being praised by the White House and in staying on good terms with an administration willing to use direct pressure.”
What’s Next
The White House is expected to continue pointing to private-sector discounts and promotions as evidence that affordability is improving for consumers, while economists will be watching to see whether price reductions extend beyond temporary sales and marketing campaigns.
The coming weeks could also bring additional relief for families as many states hold their annual back-to-school tax-free weekends throughout August. The events typically allow shoppers to purchase qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear and, in some states, electronics without paying state sales tax, reducing costs during one of the year’s biggest spending periods for households with children.
Economists and policymakers will be closely monitoring upcoming inflation and retail sales data to assess whether lower prices, seasonal promotions and tax-free shopping events translate into meaningful savings for consumers. The debate is also likely to continue over whether recent price-cut announcements reflect broader economic and competitive forces or the direct influence of the administration’s policies.