Trump claims Walmart is closing '250 stores' in California — fact check says otherwise
Trump even accused the California Governor of running a drug-money laundering scheme.
Jan. 30 2026, Published 5:24 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump often goes on long posting sprees on social media, which some of his fans might find informative. However, a lot of times, the President has posted false information, yet since nothing damaging has resulted, he has gotten away. He did the same again recently, claiming that Walmart was closing hundreds of stores in the state of California. This forced a response from the California Governor’s office and Walmart, both of which swiftly denied them.
The President shared a video and a text on his Truth Social handle, both of which claimed that California Governor Gavin Newsom was in panic as Walmart was closing more than 250 stores in the state. The truth is far from this claim. “This isn’t accurate information,” a Walmart spokesperson said as per a CNN report. “In fact, we actually just recently opened a new store in California.” The Governor’s office had some strong words for the President as well.
“In the last 60 minutes, the President has posted 56 times on Truth Social. One post claims Walmart is closing 85% of its California stores because of our “$22 minimum wage.” Another features 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,” the tweet from the Governor Newsom Press Office handle read.
“Just to clarify: Walmart’s 303 stores in California are open. The AI robot is lying. Governor Newsom is not Pablo Escobar. 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,” it added. Such a response surely will not be taken lightly by the White House.
Newsom made headlines a few days back when he slammed European leaders in Davos for rolling over for Trump and not standing up to his threats and impunity policies. He called the President a “T. rex,” adding that “you either mate with him or he devours you.” The California Governor also made some damning statements about European leaders that were publicized with the whole world watching.
“People are rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of kneepads for all the world leaders. It’s just pathetic,” he said as per a report in Time. “The Europeans should decide for themselves what to do, but one thing they can’t do is what they’ve been doing. They've been played. This guy [Trump] is playing folks for fools.” The President has been clashing with NATO and the EU over a number of issues, including the potential annexation of Greenland.
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