President Trump claims prices of a Thanksgiving dinner have declined, but the data he cites does not support his conclusion.
Assistance from ChatGPT AI.
On November 6, 2025, President Donald J. Trump posted:
“2025 Thanksgiving dinner under Trump is 25% lower than 2024 Thanksgiving dinner under Biden, according to Walmart. My cost are lower than the Democrats on everything, especially oil and gas! So the Democrats “affordability” issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!”
Walmart’s Thanksgiving Baskets, Compared: 2024 vs. 2025
Walmart’s annual Thanksgiving meal basket has become a small but useful barometer of food inflation, consumer behavior, and how large retailers position themselves during the holidays. The 2024 and 2025 baskets illustrate a clear shift: Walmart moved from a broad, scratch-cooking assortment in 2024 to a more streamlined, convenience-oriented offering in 2025—while cutting the total price by roughly 25 percent.
In 2024, Walmart’s basket included twenty-nine items and was built around a traditional do-it-yourself Thanksgiving dinner. The ingredients supported making stuffing from scratch (cornbread mix, celery, onions, chicken broth, and seasoning), provided the makings of a homemade pumpkin pie, and even included a ready-made pecan pie. The turkey was a generic frozen bird priced at $0.88 per pound. The basket served eight people for under $7 per person, roughly $55 total (Walmart, 2024).
In 2025, Walmart changed course. The company cut the total cost to $39.93—less than $4 per person for a meal serving ten—and simplified nearly every part of the menu. Scratch-made dishes were replaced with boxed or pre-prepared items such as Stove Top stuffing and Great Value Artisan Macaroni & Cheese. The basket dropped many fresh ingredients, including sweet potatoes, onions, celery, and broth. The pecan pie and whipped topping disappeared, leaving only the ingredients for a single homemade pumpkin pie. The turkey shifted to a premium Butterball bird at $0.97 per pound, even as the overall price fell sharply (Walmart, 2025).
The result is a more uniform, budget-optimized basket with fewer total items and a clear emphasis on speed and convenience. In short, the 2024 basket supported a fuller, more traditional cooking experience. The 2025 basket minimized prep time and lowered out-of-pocket cost—an implicit acknowledgment of tighter household budgets and the popularity of easy-to-prepare holiday meals.
For consumers, the trade-off is straightforward: more variety and scratch cooking in 2024, or a cheaper, faster, streamlined meal in 2025. For Walmart, the shift signals confidence that simplicity and affordability are the most appealing selling points in a year when shoppers remain highly price-sensitive.
In Detail: Comparison of Walmart’s 2024 and 2025 Thanksgiving Meal Baskets
Overview
Walmart significantly reduced the total cost and changed the composition of its Thanksgiving basket from 2024 to 2025.
• 2024: Served 8 people for under $7 per person (approx. $55 total).
• 2025: Served 10 people for under $4 per person ($39.93 total).
The shift reflects simplification, brand substitutions, and a move from “cook-from-scratch” items (2024) toward faster, prepared items (2025), such as Stove Top stuffing and boxed mac & cheese.
Major Differences
1. Turkey
| Year | Brand | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Generic Whole Frozen Turkey | 10–16 lb | $0.88/lb |
| 2025 | Butterball | 13.5 lb | $0.97/lb |
Change:
• 2025 switches to a premium brand (Butterball) and raises the per-pound cost, but the total meal price still drops due to other savings.
2. Stuffing
| Year | Type |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Ingredients for scratch-made stuffing (cornbread mix, chicken broth, celery, onions, seasoning) |
| 2025 | Stove Top Turkey Stuffing, twin pack |
Change:
• 2025 uses a boxed, prepared stuffing, making it faster and cheaper.
3. Vegetables and Sides
Green Beans & Corn
• 2024: 2 green beans + 3 corn
• 2025: 3 green beans + 3 corn (slightly more beans)
New Side in 2025
• Great Value Artisan Mac & Cheese (3 boxes) — not included in 2024
Removed from 2025
• Fresh sweet potatoes
• Fresh yellow onions
• Fresh celery
• Chicken broth
• Hawaiian rolls replaced by standard rolls
• Jiffy cornbread mix
Change:
• 2025 shifts to a more curated, standardized set of sides and drops the “scratch-cooking” vegetables.
4. Cranberries
| Year | Type |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Canned (Ocean Spray Jellied) |
| 2025 | Fresh cranberries |
Change:
• 2025 shifts from canned to fresh—an unusual reversal, given the general move toward convenience elsewhere.
5. Desserts
2024 Included:
• Marie Callender’s Southern Pecan Pie
• Frozen pie crusts
• Pumpkin + evaporated milk
• Whipped topping
2025 Included:
• Pumpkin
• Pie crusts
• Evaporated milk
Not Included in 2025:
• Pecan pie
• Whipped topping
Change:
• 2025 simplifies dessert offerings to ingredients for one pumpkin pie, removing the ready-made pecan pie and whipped topping.
6. Fresh Produce
2024 Included:
• Russet potatoes (5 lb)
• Sweet potatoes
• Celery
• Onions
2025 Included:
• Russet potatoes (5 lb)
• Baby carrots (2 lb)
Change:
• 2025 reduces fresh-produce variety to lower total cost and simplify cooking.
7. Number of Items
• 2024: 29 items
• 2025: “20+” items (fewer overall and less variety)
Summary: What Changed Most?
Cost
• Total cost dropped ~25%, despite switching to a premium Butterball turkey.
Convenience
• 2024 encouraged scratch cooking.
• 2025 emphasizes prepared items (Stove Top, boxed mac & cheese) and fewer fresh ingredients.
Menu Composition
• 2024 offered a broader, more traditional assortment.
• 2025 is simpler, more standardized, and designed to appeal to households wanting a faster meal.
Dessert
• 2024 provided two pies (pecan + pumpkin).
• 2025 provides only pumpkin pie ingredients.
Bottom Line
Walmart’s 2024 basket focused on variety and scratch cooking, especially with vegetables and multiple desserts.
Walmart’s 2025 basket aimed for maximum affordability, simplifying the menu, reducing fresh-produce items, removing the pecan pie, and adding budget-friendly crowd-pleasers like mac & cheese and boxed stuffing.
References
Walmart. (2024). Walmart sets the table early with a Thanksgiving meal for less than $7 per person (Oct. 17, 2024).
Walmart. (2025). Walmart’s annual Thanksgiving meal returns — serving 10 people for less than $4.00 per person (Oct. 21, 2025).