'Think hard': GOP senator threatens Walmart over price increase

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) said Monday Walmart will have to be "very careful" and "think hard" while making decisions about raising prices in light of President Donald Trump's tariffs.

During an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box, Hagerty was asked about Trump's recent criticism of Walmart's plans to raise prices. The retail giant's CFO had warned that consumers might see higher prices on products as soon as June due to increased tariffs on imported goods.

Hagerty said, "I think Walmart’s gonna have to make some decisions. Walmart has the broadest base of American clients there is. I think they’re gonna be very careful about how they do this."

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"I know that they’ve received some criticism from the president. I think they need to think hard," he continued.

On Saturday, Trump responded sharply to Walmart's announcement of price increases due to new tariffs on imported goods.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump criticized the retail giant's decision to pass the additional costs onto consumers. He urged Walmart to "EAT THE TARIFFS" instead of raising prices, emphasizing that both he and Walmart's customers would be closely monitoring the company's actions.

Walmart responded to Trump’s comments in a statement to NBC News and CBS News.

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“We have always worked to keep our prices as low as possible and we won’t stop,” the statement said, adding: “We’ll keep prices as low as we can for as long as we can given the reality of small retail margins.

Meanwhile, responding to a question during a press briefing Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "The reality is, as the president has always maintained, the Chinese producers will be absorbing the cost of these tariffs."

Leavitt's statement drew criticism on social media.

Political pollster Matt McDermot wrote on the social platform X: "The reality is the president was rage tweeting Walmart less than 48 hours ago after they announced price hikes due to Trump’s tariffs. Just constant lies from this White House."