00:00Today on Forbes, billionaire Walmart heiress promotes nationwide anti-Trump protests.
00:07Walmart heiress Christy Walton, one of the richest women in America,
00:12has joined a small group of billionaires speaking out against President Donald Trump.
00:17The 76-year-old Walton, who is worth an estimated $19.3 billion, according to Forbes,
00:23paid to take out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times last Sunday,
00:27calling on readers to, quote, mobilize on Saturday, June 14th.
00:33The advertisement appears to be an escalation of one she paid for in March, also in the Times print edition.
00:39At the top of the ad are the words, quote,
00:41which appear to reference a political organization that's coordinating hundreds of anti-Trump protests across the U.S. Saturday, June 14th,
00:51the same day Trump is slated to host a military parade in Washington, D.C.
00:54Organizers of the counter-protests told Axios they are expecting this to be the largest single-day rally
01:01since the start of the administration.
01:04No Kings spokesperson, Andrew Cook, told Forbes there will be more than 1,800 events across the country.
01:10The group is not planning a protest in D.C. as part of their plan to, quote,
01:14make action everywhere else.
01:17The No Kings website says, quote,
01:18The advertisement also lists eight different principles Walton supports,
01:34from caring for, quote, veterans and children,
01:37to defending, quote, against the aggression of dictators.
01:40The ad also says, quote,
01:42We are the people of the United States of America.
01:45The honor, dignity and integrity of our country are not for sale.
01:50Randy Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers,
01:54one of the organizations partnering with No Kings to organize the anti-Trump protests,
01:59says, quote,
02:00According to a person with knowledge of Walton's thinking,
02:14who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
02:15the ad, which ran nationwide, is a, quote,
02:19personal message from the billionaire,
02:21encouraging people, quote,
02:23to engage peacefully and civically in this weekend's events on June 14th.
02:27This person says, quote,
02:29Her message promotes peaceful dialogue and the sharing of diverse views and voices.
02:34She condemns violence in all forms
02:35and continues to emphasize the importance of listening to one another.
02:40Joe Pennington, director of Walmart's global press office,
02:44highlighted that, quote,
02:45The advertisements from Christy Walton are in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart.
02:51Walmart has publicly clashed with the Trump administration
02:54over threats of sweeping international tariffs.
02:56Last month, Trump threatened Walmart, the nation's largest retailer,
03:01after its CEO, Doug McMillan, warned about raising prices in response to Trump's tariffs.
03:06In a Truth Social post calling out Walmart,
03:08Trump wrote in all capital letters, quote,
03:11Eat the tariffs.
03:13Trump went on, quote,
03:14I'll be watching and so will your customers.
03:18Pennington also said that Walton does not, quote,
03:20serve on the board or play any role in decision making at Walmart.
03:24He added, quote,
03:25As a company with associates and customers in the Los Angeles region,
03:29we remain focused on their safety and that of impacted communities.
03:34Walton owns an estimated 1.9% stake in Walmart,
03:38which she inherited after her husband, John Walton, died in a plane crash in 2005.
03:43John Walton was one of four children of Sam Walton,
03:47the founder of the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer.
03:50John's siblings, Rob, Jim, and Alice,
03:53are among the top 15 richest people in the world,
03:56worth at least $100 billion apiece.
03:59Christie's 38-year-old son, Lucas,
04:01is also a billionaire after inheriting an estimated 3.7% of Walmart upon his father's death.
04:07Lucas runs the sustainability-focused philanthropic investment platform BuildersVision
04:13and is worth some $39.6 billion, according to Forbes.
04:19Christie Walton is one of very few billionaires to vocalize opposition against Trump,
04:23despite a controversial first few months in office due to tariffs,
04:27immigration crackdowns, and unprecedented attacks
04:29against some of the country's most prestigious universities.
04:32For full coverage, check out Jemima McAvoy's piece on Forbes.com.
04:39This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.
04:42Thanks for tuning in.
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