Copyright NBC 5 Chicago
In the wake of Republicans’ heavy election losses on Tuesday, President Donald Trump has responded to voters’ growing concerns by insisting the economy is actually experiencing a “golden age.” As tangible proof, he has pointed to the cost of Walmart’s Thanksgiving meal bundle, which is roughly 25% less expensive this year than it was last year. “Grocery prices are way down, and Walmart just announced that the cost of their standard Thanksgiving meal— this is the greatest, their greatest,” Trump said in a speech to the American Business Forum on Wednesday, adding: “It is 25% lower than one year ago. That’s a big deal.” Trump is right — but the 2025 Thanksgiving bundle is also smaller than the 2024 package. This year’s package, at less than $40, contains 23 items; last year, there were 29. The missing items this year include onions, celery, sweet potatoes, chicken broth, poultry seasoning, muffin mix, marshmallows, whipped topping and pecan pie. This year’s meal comes with standard dinner rolls and fresh cranberries, which both currently cost less at Walmart than the sweet Hawaiian rolls and cranberry sauce in last year’s edition. The 2025 meal also includes just one can of cream of mushroom soup, down from two in 2024. Walmart did make some additions to its new package, including a twin pack of turkey stuffing, baby carrots and three boxes of macaroni and cheese. Last year, Walmart included ingredients to make stuffing from scratch. “This year, Walmart is raising the standard even higher — with the most affordable holiday meal yet,” Walmart said in a release. “Walmart’s 2025 abundant meal basket offers traditional favorites across national and private brands, for a full holiday feast serving 10 people for under $4.00 per person — the lowest price since Walmart started the program!” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Walmart declined to comment. Since his speech Wednesday, the president has referred to the Walmart deal at least three more times publicly. That evening, Trump posted on Truth Social that Republicans needed to start hyping up Walmart’s Thanksgiving deal. “Walmart just announced that Prices for a Thanksgiving Dinner is now down 25% since under Sleepy/Crooked Joe Biden, in 2024,” Trump wrote. “AFFORDABILITY is a Republican Stronghold. Hopefully, Republicans will use this irrefutable fact!” The president returned to the subject on Thursday morning, again promoting the Walmart deal. “2025 Thanksgiving dinner under Trump is 25% lower than 2024 Thanksgiving dinner under Biden, according to Walmart,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “My cost are lower than the Democrats on everything, especially oil and gas! So the Democrats 'affordability' issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!” And while speaking with reporters in the White House on Thursday afternoon to discuss a drug pricing announcement, Trump was asked about Walmart’s Thanksgiving bundle announcement, which he called “a very powerful statement.” “To me that’s better than anything there is,” Trump said. “That’s better than a poll. They’ve got everything included. From the trimmings. To the turkey. A lot of different items.” An NBC News poll released Sunday found that just 34% of voters believe Trump has “lived up” to the expectations they had for him on the economy. In the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races, Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won by larger-than-expected margins running on an affordability message, while in New York City, Democratic Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani defeated two opponents with a campaignfocused on cost-of-living issues. Food costs — particularly on household staples like coffee and beef — have risen even as food cost-growth has slowed from the decades-high inflation of 2022. Grocery costs were up 0.2% month-over-month in September, while prices rose 2.7% year-over-year, according to the Consumer Price Index report released on Oct. 24. On Thursday, the White House promoted a new report from Wells Fargo that found that even as those food costs rise, the cost of a Thanksgiving meal — which does not include beef or eggs — has declined by 2-to-3% compared to 2024. The White House also promoted Thanksgiving meal bundles from Walmart, Aldi, Lidl and Target that had declined in cost compared to 2024. “It’s proof that under President Trump’s leadership, America is winning the war on high prices — even as Democrats grind the country to a halt with their deranged, reckless government shutdown,” the White House said. Speaking with Politico on Wednesday, White House deputy chief of staff James Blair said the president “is very keyed into what’s going on, and he recognizes, like anybody, that it takes time to do an economic turnaround, but all the fundamentals are there, and I think you’ll see him be very, very focused on prices and cost of living.” The president’s economic agenda has been headlined by sweeping tariffs, which are currently being challenged before the Supreme Court, a reduction in the immigrant workforce and a tax cut signed into law this summer. “Our opponents are offering an economic nightmare,” the president said during his economic speech on Wednesday. “We’re delivering an economic miracle. We have delivered in nine months.”
