The claim: Publix, Kroger and Food Lion announced price cuts in response to Trump winning election
A Nov. 10 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) attributes a purported development for consumers to President-elect Donald Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
“Kroeger (sic), Food Lion, and Publix all announced a 4 percent price cut across the board,” the post reads. “He’s already making a difference.”
The post was shared more than 100 times in nine days. A similar claim was also made on Threads.
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Our rating: False
None of the chains have announced price cuts in response to the election. The claim originated on a satirical website but has been shared since as authentic news.
Claim originated with frequent satire source
The economy and inflation were considered major issues in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, and Trump was able to capitalize on the view of many voters that Harris and President Joe Biden were to blame for rising costs.
But the claim about prices being cut shortly after Trump’s victory is false. None of the named grocery companies – Publix, Kroger or Food Lion – have announced price cuts in response to the election.
The claim was first shared in a Nov. 9 Facebook post by Reagan Was Right, an account affiliated with the America’s Last Line of Defense satirical network of social media accounts and website. The account’s “about” entry states in part that “nothing on this page is real.”
Christopher Blair, who operates the network, previously told USA TODAY “I don’t publish the truth on any of the websites you’ll find on ALLOD.”
The Facebook post is an example of what could be called “stolen satire,” where stories written as satire and presented that way originally are captured and reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.
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Kroger is trying to secure regulatory approval for a $25 billion takeover of Albertson’s and did say in September the efficiencies it expects to gain would allow it to cut grocery prices. But that was well before the election and was not contingent on Trump returning to the White House.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Check Your Fact and Snopes also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
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Reagan Was Right, Nov. 9, Facebook post
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Reagan Was Right, accessed Nov. 15, About page on Facebook
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Kroger, accessed Nov. 15, News
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Food Lion, accessed Nov. 15, Press Releases
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Publix Super Markets, accessed Nov. 15, Press Releases – Newsroom
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USA TODAY, Sept. 11, Kroger Albertsons merger hearing: What’s next?
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Claim grocery prices cut after election started as satire | Fact check
