Trump’s resharing of Walmart store closures draws flak from the California Governor.
- Trump reshared a post on Truth Social that claimed Walmart was closing “250 stores in California, citing $22 per hour minimum wage.”
- Governor Gavin Newsom’s press team said that Walmart’s 303 stores in California are open.
- Newsom was elected as California’s 40th Governor in November 2018 and previously served as Lieutenant Governor of California and Mayor of San Francisco.
In the late hours of Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump shared several posts on his Truth Social account citing the closure of Walmart stores in California due to the state’s minimum but Governor Gavin Newsom was quick to take to X and said that the retail behemoth’s stores were open and functioning.
Trump reshared a post on Truth Social that said Walmart was closing “250 stores in California, citing $22 per hour minimum wage,” leaving the retailer competitive despite its small profit margins.
The post by an account named “MAGA X TIMES DAILY NEWS” on X, formerly known as Twitter, noted that this was bad news for Newsom, the Governor of California, claiming that he has “the fifth-largest economy in the world and has a more than $200 billion budget deficit”
Newsom Reacts
The Governor of California’s press account on X said that in the last 60 minutes, the President has posted 56 times on Truth Social, and one of the posts allegedly claimed that Walmart is closing 85% of its California stores because of the $22 minimum wage.
Newsom’s team noted that another post featured an AI-generated video in which “a robot accuses Governor Newsom of running a drug-money laundering scheme out of the Governor’s Office with the Mexican cartel.”
“Just to clarify: — Walmart’s 303 stores in California are open. — The AI robot is lying. Governor Newsom is not Pablo Escobar,” Governor Newsom’s Press Office said on X.
“We cannot believe we have to say any of this out loud. We cannot believe this is real life. And we truly cannot believe this man has the nuclear codes. Deep breaths, everyone. Three more years,” the post read.
Newsom was elected as California’s 40th Governor in November 2018 and previously served as Lieutenant Governor of California and Mayor of San Francisco. He is a member of the Democratic Party in the United States.
What Does X’s Grok Think?
When a user on X asked the social media platform’s AI assistant Grok about the post by “MAGA X TIMES DAILY NEWS,” it said it was not accurate. “No, this claim isn't accurate. California's minimum wage is $16.90/hour as of Jan 1, 2026, not $22,” Grok said.
“Walmart has closed a few underperforming stores in CA recently (about 6 in the past 18 months), but there's no official announcement of 250 closures tied to wages,” Grok added.
Neither Walmart nor any of its executives has issued a statement regarding the company’s decision to close stores. The retail behemoth has been enjoying steady demand at its stores across the U.S., with consumers from all income groups flocking to its stores for purchases.
How Are Retail Users Reacting?
Retail sentiment on Walmart dipped to ‘bearish’ from ‘bullish’ a week ago, with message volumes at ‘normal’ levels, according to data from Stocktwits.
Shares of Walmart have gained more than 18% in the last 12 months.
For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.<
