Walmart could become the target of a MAGA-led boycott after an heiress to the retail fortune funded a full-page ad in the New York Times promoting a nationwide protest movement against President Trump.
The ad, run by the “No Kings” movement, calls on Americans to “mobilize” on Saturday — Flag Day and Trump’s birthday — in order to “reject authoritarianism.”
Trump is planning to hold a massive military parade in Washington, DC on that day.
The heiress, Christy Walton, is the widow of John T. Walton, son of Walmart founder Sam Walton.
Though she holds no active role in Walmart’s operations, she retains a roughly 1.9% stake in the company and has an estimated net worth of $19.3 billion, according to Forbes.
The “No Kings” movement is planning roughly 1,500 protests nationwide to counter Saturday’s military parade — but notably absent from the list of protest sites is DC.
The ad, which appeared in Sunday’s edition of the Times, does not name Trump directly but criticizes efforts that undermine civil rights and democratic values.
It reads, in part, “The honor, dignity, and integrity of our country are not for sale,” and includes a QR code linking to a map of more than 1,800 planned protests set to take place nationwide.
“Great, a left-wing billionaire feels like burning some of her inheritance for a PR stunt,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Post on Wednesday.
“It’s not going to change the fact that over 77 million Americans voted for mass deportations, border security, and America First trade policies – a mandate that the Trump administration is committed to using every lever of executive power to deliver on.”
Trump’s MAGA allies directly or indirectly called for a boycott of the nation’s largest retailer.
Kari Lake, a former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and now a White House special advisor, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Do you shop at Walmart?”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote on X: “Walmart heiress Christy Walton is funding full-page color ads in the New York Times for ‘No Kings Day,’ a nationwide counter-protest scheduled for Trump’s birthday, organized by the far-left group Indivisible.”
“Looks like the Walmart dynasty is big mad about China tariffs,” the lawmaker wrote.
The hashtag @BoycottWalmart started gaining traction on X on Wednesday, with some social media users branding Christy Walton a “traitor.”
“Boycott Walmart!” wrote longtime Trump supporter Roger Stone, who added: “The Walmart Heiress subsidizes insurrection. Next up peaceful protest outside all of their stores to encourage people not to shop there. Essentially what left-wing stooges did to Tesla. Let’s go.”
A spokesperson for Christy Walton said she funded the ad to encourage “people to engage peacefully and civically” on Saturday.
The rep stressed that Walton’s ad in no way encourages the violence that has embroiled Los Angeles and has spread to other major cities following immigration raids by ICE.
“Christy has provided no funding to organizations or individuals involved in the demonstrations in Los Angeles or other cities, nor has she provided any funding to those organizing the upcoming events,” the spokesperson said.
“Her interest is simply in encouraging people to listen to one another, participate in their communities, and productively engage on the issues they care about. She believes while we have the right to protest, we do not have a right to violence. She condemns violence in all forms and her message promotes civic engagement, peaceful dialogue, and the sharing of diverse views and voices.”
Organizers of the No Kings protests say the decision to forgo a demonstration in the nation’s capital is intentional, casting it as a refusal to legitimize what they call a political spectacle. The parade is expected to commemorate both the 250th anniversary of the US Army and Trump’s 79th birthday.
Trump has issued a warning to anyone planning to protest Saturday’s military parade, saying demonstrators will be met with a “very big force.”
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, said on Wednesday that the president “supports the right of Americans to peacefully protest” and that “is not the majority of the behavior that we have seen taking place in Los Angeles.”
Leavitt also bristled at suggestions that Trump views himself as a king, telling reporters at the White House on Wednesday: “The president views himself as the President of the United States of America. This is a constitutional republic, and we want to see all of our citizens be proud of the country in which they are given the privilege and the blessing to live…”
Christy Walton, who inherited much of her fortune after her husband died in a 2005 plane crash, has mostly focused largely on philanthropy and environmental initiatives, maintaining a relatively low profile in public life.
Her history of political involvement is limited, though she has previously supported educational and cultural causes, including funding the film adaptation of “Bless Me, Ultima.”
Walton’s support for the “No Kings” campaign marks one of the rare instances in which a member of the family has backed a movement widely perceived as critical of Trump.
Walmart, seeking to distance itself from the controversy, quickly issued a statement to The Post.
“The advertisement from Christy Walton [is] in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart,” said spokesperson Joe Pennington, who added that Walton “has no active role in company decisions.”
“We condemn violence, including when it’s directed towards law enforcement, and the damaging of property,” Pennington added.
“As a company with associates and customers in the Los Angeles region, we remain focused on their safety and that of impacted communities.”
Trump recently urged Walmart to “eat the tariffs” by absorbing the increase in prices that are likely to result from levies his administration has imposed on foreign imports.
Nonetheless, pictures on social media purported to be taken of products sold at Walmart indicate that prices have spiked — though a spokesperson for the retailer told The Post that “pricing fluctuations are a normal course of business and are influenced by a variety of factors.”
1 comment:
So, the paying customers will not be buying and the shoplifters and looters will still be going strong...
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