Billionaire Walmart heiress Christy Walton, the widow of one of founder Sam Walton’s sons, has spoken out against President Donald Trump in a break with the rest of the family, sparking calls on social media to boycott the national chain retailer.
Walton, 76, placed an ad buy for full-page spots in national newspapers, including The New York Times, where she called for people to “defend against aggression by dictators” and to participate in “No Kings” protests this weekend, reports The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
She bought similar advertising in March, but her latest ad has placed the wealthy Walton family into the political spotlight, while drawing attention from Trump supporters and critics alike.
A Walmart spokesman said Walton’s advertisements “are in no way connected to or endorsed” by the company. Sources close to the situation said she did not alert the company before running the ad spots.
Christy Walton was married to John Walton, and is not involved in trusts holding the family’s stake or the company. She inherited some of her husband’s wealth after he died in a small airplane accident in Wyoming in 2005.
She also lives mainly in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, away from Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Christy Walton has an estimated net worth of $18.8 billion. Her son, Lukas, inherited most of his late father’s stake in Walmart, giving him an estimated net worth of $41.5 billion.
The Walton family maintains a 45% stake in Walmart, at a value of about $345 billion. It is controlled by trusts run by family members, including Lukas Walton.
Christy Walton’s brother-in-law, Rob, had served as the company’s chair, handing down that role to Greg Penner, his son-in-law.
Her advertisement came out over the weekend as protests against immigration sweeps grew in Los Angeles and elsewhere, with some on social media linking her call to “mobilize” and protest.
But a spokeswoman for Christy Walton said the ad spots were bought before the Los Angeles protests and are not related to the incidents there.
Further, the spokeswoman said that Walton has not given the demonstrators or the No Kings events any money and “condemns violence in all forms.”
In May, Trump criticized Walmart after executives said they would need to raise prices because of his tariffs, and said the company should instead “eat the tariffs.”
While members of the Walton family rarely speak out about social issues or politics, another family member, Tom Walton, a grandson of Sam Walton, published an opinion piece in an Arkansas paper in support of the state’s LGBTQ community.
Christy Walton, meanwhile, has donated to both Republicans and Democrats over the years, but more recently, she has paid to back anti-Trump causes and politicians, including giving more than $500,000 to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project.
She also hosted a Jackson Hole fundraiser for Democrat nominee Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign last year.
But mainly, she supports environmental causes through Innovaciones Alumbra, saying on its website that she wants to invest in “systems that bring positive changes in social, environmental, and economic health.”
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