Trump and Walmart Make a Hash of Thanksgiving Dinner

Jim Hightower on Nov 26, 2025

Oh, thank goodness for President Donald Trump!

As millions of families struggle with the ever-rising price of groceries, The Donald is bragging that his economic policies have miraculously lowered prices, just in time for Thanksgiving. As proof, he points to Walmart, America's largest food marketer, boasting that it cut the price of its "complete Thanksgiving dinner package" by a whopping 25% from a year ago! "That's a tremendous number," Trump exclaimed.

But wait -- before we swallow that whole, let's peek inside Walmart's dinner package to see what's in there ... and what's NOT. Sure enough, using a trick called "shrinkflation," the corporate giant has quietly removed basic Thanksgiving items that were in last year's package, including cornbread mix, sweet potatoes and pie. Then, it shrank the size of the servings of other items, such as cranberries and soup.

By shorting the food in each package, this year's Walmart dinner actually costs more than last year's. How tremendous is that?

Yet (like his wrecking ball demolition of the White House), Trump keeps trying to destroy the very idea of presidential honesty. He now rants that there is no affordability crisis in America. It's "a complete CON JOB" by the media, he barks, consumer prices are "tumbling down", we have "the greatest economy in history." People should stop complaining and be grateful!

The problem for politicians who peddle such lies is that people's everyday life experiences instantly reveal the huckster's deception. Even for MAGA believers, it must be hard to give thanks for a president who demands praise for helping one of his profiteering backers scam millions of working-class families, who're just trying to put food on their tables.

CREATING OUR OWN THANKSGIVING BLESSING

These days, with so much economic greed and political meanness in the news, it's hard to lift your head up and notice the common goodness and community spirit that's flourishing all around us.

So, this Thanksgiving season, why not shake off some of that debilitating negativity by focusing on the many, seemingly small efforts by ordinary people who're helping to make life just a little bit better, more connected -- more joyful even! Consider, for example, a very neighborly phenomenon presently spreading across our country: "Repair Cafes".

The idea is simple and practical -- rather than trashing that broken lamp, torn pair of jeans, wobbly chair or blinking electronic device -- repair them! Only, we've become a nation that doesn't know how, and our corporate consumer economy -- based on planned obsolescence -- tells us to just throw it all away.

But that ignores a marvelous community asset: grassroots talent. Every neighborhood and small town is blessed with many locals who're "good with their hands." So, in some 200 American communities, volunteer crews of these skilled repairers gather weekly or monthly, inviting us "under-skilled" folks to bring in practically any of our household "junk" to be fixed -- for free -- rather than sending it to the landfill.

There is one requirement, though -- we have to watch, listen and participate in the repair, so we learn to trust our own hands, and maybe teach someone else later on. These repair cafes don't merely provide a community service; they create community. Stuff gets fixed, but most importantly, as a cafe founder in East Harlem puts it, "mostly we just spend time together."

Why not do that where you live? For guidance, go to RepairCafe.org.

To find out more about Jim Hightower and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

----