Trump Schedules Meeting with Retail Giants to Discuss Trade Policies

President Donald Trump will hold a roundtable with the leaders of some of America’s biggest retail companies on Monday afternoon. Discussion at this convening will focus on the impact of the president’s trade actions— most immediately through tariffs— on retailers. While the White House did not read this meeting into Trump’s public schedule, the importance of the meeting has made it impossible to ignore.

The meeting—which will be held at the White House—includes the CEOs of Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowes. The detailed list of company attendees has not been released, though it does leave open the question of which executives from these significant retailers will be representing them. Bloomberg first reported on the high-level meeting earlier Monday, underscoring the significance of the high-level discussion amid ongoing trade turmoil.

Target seems to be steering through an especially choppy economic current. That is a staggering increase for a retailer who has not seen their annual revenue growth in the last four years. By their new estimate, just 1% sales growth for the ongoing fiscal year. This perfect storm of scenarios is putting tremendous pressure on Target’s new leadership as they attempt to pivot and respond to the rapidly changing economic landscape.

Unlike the other retailers, Walmart is deeply domestic in its operations. It even boasts that about two-thirds of its products sold in the United States are made, grown or assembled domestically. The retailer relies on overseas sources for about a third of its merchandise. China and Mexico are the country’s largest suppliers. Though asked by CNBC to confirm or deny the planned meeting, Walmart did not respond.

In particular, this meeting will address how Trump’s trade policies are affecting retailers’ day-to-day operations. We’ll share the story of how things have been changing, and what we need to change going forward. Our trade relations are changing by the minute. Retailers are working too on increasing their awareness of how tariffs and changes to import regulations can affect their supply chains and pricing strategies.