US EditionFact Check: Trump Twice Promotes Phony Claim that Walmart Is Closing 250 California Stores
Walmart denies closing any of its 303 California stores and disputes claims tied to a supposed $22 minimum wage, which exceeds the actual $16.90 rate, officials said.
- On January 29, 2026, President Donald Trump posted twice to Truth Social a YouTube video titled `California Governor PANICS as Walmart Shuts Down 250+ Stores Across State`, claiming Walmart is closing 250+ California stores during a late-night social media spree.
- A YouTube account that posted anti-Newsom videos also shared the false Walmart shutdown clip, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said `Walmart's 303 stores in California are open`.
- Walmart told CNN on Thursday it is not closing stores in California, and a Walmart spokesperson said `This isn’t accurate information`, adding it recently opened a new store in California.
- Deletion followed when by Thursday morning almost all deleted anti-Newsom videos vanished from the YouTube account, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office wrote `We cannot believe we have to say any of this out loud` and `truly cannot believe this man has the nuclear codes`.
- The clip also claimed Walmart couldn't afford California's `$22` hourly minimum wage, despite California's actual `$16.90` minimum wage, CNN's Daniel Dale reported that Trump spread false claims.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Walmart swings back at Trump over false posts about its business: report
Walmart took a swing at President Donald Trump on Thursday after the president shared false information about their business on his social media. Trump reshared posts to his millions of Truth Social followers that Walmart allegedly planned to close 250 stores in California. The posts were authored b...
Walmart directly debunks Trump's 'wildly inaccurate' claim
President Donald Trump has recently been claiming that retail chain Walmart is closing hundreds of stores in California. Now, the company is directly refuting him.CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale reported Thursday that Trump spread several falsehoods in a late-night social media posting spree, making "wildly inaccurate and often conspiratorial claims." On two separate occasions, Trump posted a YouTube video entitled "California Governor PANICS as Wa…
Fact check: Trump twice promotes phony claim that Walmart is closing 250 California stores
President Donald Trump did another social media posting spree on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. As with Trump’s previous posting blitzes, this one was filled with wildly inaccurate and often conspiratorial claims about elections and other subjects.
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