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Donald Trump Pushes ‘False’ Claim About Thanksgiving Meal Prices — Simple Math Exposes the Truth

President Donald Trump sparks attention with yet another unverified claim ahead of Thanksgiving on Truth Social. What's he saying?

By Sweta Choudhury
Did President Donald Trump make another unnecessary and tone-deaf comment right before Thanksgiving? Well, many people think so! Speaking to reporters at Palm Beach International Airport on Sunday before boarding Air Force One, Trump said that prepackaged Thanksgiving meals from Walmart are less expensive this year. He argued that "in every case," Thanksgiving meals cost about 25% less now than they did under "Sleepy Joe Biden". Considering Thanksgiving is a major holiday celebration in America, honoring the harvest and the blessings of the past year, friends and family, even the White House, ring in the occasion with warmth and good vibes. According to The Mirror US, President Trump has been pushing this claim since early November. On November 6, he wrote on Truth Social that Walmart data showed Thanksgiving dinner in 2025 to be 25% cheaper than in 2024. He also asserted that Walmart confirmed the claim that it was cheaper at a news conference alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. However, the claim seems misleading. While Walmart's 2025 Thanksgiving is indeed more affordable, it is mainly because it includes fewer and different items. This year's basket costs under $40 and feeds 10 people, roughly $4 per person. The 2025 basket contains 15 products compared to 21 the year prior. When counting individual items, there are 22 items this year versus 29 last year. The new basket was also made as a part of Walmart's lower-priced "Great Value" brand.  The 2025 basket has fewer things like pecan pie, mini marshmallows, muffin mix, sweet potatoes, onions, and celery. For context, a Thanksgiving basket contains a variety of items for a family in need, centered around the themes of gratitude and the harvest season. Moreover, these baskets can be of different types, like a food basket, which generally includes a turkey, canned vegetables, other ingredients like yams, corn muffin mix, and pumpkin pie mix. There are also hostess gift baskets that are given to people who host the dinner, which can be filled with gourmet treats and other fall-themed items. Other retailers have also promoted cheaper Thanksgiving options this year. The White House highlighted deals at Lidl, Aldi, Target, and Schnucks. Furthermore, the tradition of pardoning turkeys in the White House has been a historical event, which was started by Abraham Lincoln, who reportedly spared a turkey at his son Tad's request. While the tradition varied under different presidents, the modern official turkey pardon began in 1989 with President George H.W. Bush. Since then, at least one turkey has been officially pardoned each year. In 2024, Joe Biden and his team pardoned two turkeys, Peach and Blossom, weighing 41 and 40 pounds, respectively. Peach and Blossom joined other pardoned turkeys during Biden's presidency, including Liberty and Bell (2023), Chocolate and Chip (2022), and Peanut Butter and Jelly (2021). This year, Thanksgiving is on November 27, and the chosen turkey will be served as part of the official dinner and is considered "The National Thanksgiving Turkey." Meanwhile, Trump's views on inflation, his recent tariff increases, and his criticism of Democrats for the longest government shutdown have drawn immense backlash. He hasn't been consistent with his facts and figures in most of his interviews and has been accused of lying frequently throughout his presidency. Anyhow, will Trump pardon a turkey this year? What do you think?

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