President Donald Trump took to Truth Social last week with a bold claim: Walmart's Thanksgiving dinner is 25% cheaper this year — and he says that's proof prices are lower under his leadership.
"2025 Thanksgiving dinner under Trump is 25% lower than 2024 Thanksgiving dinner under Biden, according to Walmart," he wrote on Nov. 6. "My cost are lower than the Democrats on everything, especially oil and gas! So the Democrats ‘affordability' issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!"
Walmart did announce lower Thanksgiving meal pricing this year. But the details behind the savings offer a more nuanced picture than Trump's post suggests.
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Walmart's Numbers: Yes, the Price Is Lower
Every year since 2022, Walmart has announced a Thanksgiving meal that can be purchased throughout the holiday season on its website. It generally includes holiday staples like mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, and of course, a turkey.
In this year's holiday meal announcement, Walmart said its Thanksgiving basket costs under $40, or less than $4 per person for a meal serving 10 people. Last year, Walmart's holiday meal basket was about $55 and served eight people. That's roughly a 25% price drop year-over-year, which matches the percentage Trump cited.
"Walmart's 2025 curated meal basket costs $40 ($39.93), which is about 25% less than last year," Walmart said.
This year's basket features 15 ingredients, including a Butterball turkey priced at $0.97 per pound — Walmart states that this is its lowest Butterball turkey price since 2019.
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What Changed? Less Variety, More Basic Staples
While the math checks out on the 25% drop, comparing Walmart's lists between last year and this year shows that the savings are partly achieved by simplifying the meal.
Some examples show how Walmart lowered costs:
- Stuffing: In 2024, customers received celery, onions, broth, and seasoning to make stuffing from scratch. All of this would total around $7.86 at current market pricing — and that still doesn't include all of the ingredients needed for stuffing. This year, the basket includes Stove Top boxed stuffing, priced at about $3.64 for a two-pack.
- Rolls: Last year's basket included Great Value sweet Hawaiian rolls, which currently cost $2.38 for a 12-count. This year uses regular Great Value dinner rolls at $1.38 per 12-count.
- Cranberries: The 2024 basket used Ocean Spray canned cranberry sauce, which runs about $2.47 per can. This year's basket swaps to fresh cranberries for $1.42 per bag.
The 2024 basket also included a few holiday staples that this year's basket doesn't offer: pecan pie, sweet potatoes, and whipped topping. Plus, if you total the cost of the same items included in last year's basket, they still add up to about $55 — not including sales tax.
In other words: the new meal feeds more people at a lower cost, but with fewer extras and less variety.
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Inflation Still Plays a Role
Even with the price drop from Walmart, food costs overall remain higher than a year ago. According to the U.S. government's most recent consumer price index data, food prices increased 3.1% year-over-year as of September.
Walmart's meal pricing appears designed to help shoppers stretch their budgets during a period when many households report financial strain and reduced assistance from programs like SNAP amidst the current government shutdown.
Bottom Line
Trump is correct that Walmart's official Thanksgiving basket costs about 25% less this year. But the lower price isn't simply due to broad economic shifts, at least not in the sense that Trump is touting. It reflects changes in what's included, fewer name-brand items, and more budget-focused selections to help shoppers stretch their dollars and feed more people.
For consumers, that still means one thing: a cheaper Thanksgiving meal. But understanding why the price dropped helps clarify the full story behind the headline claim.
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Image: Imagn
