A billionaire Walmart heiress has again taken aim at President Trump — this time encouraging people to participate in protests against his second presidency while Trump holds a military parade in Washington on Saturday.
Christy Walton, who is the widow of one of the Walmart founder’s sons, paid for a full-page ad in The New York Times on Sunday calling for people to “defend against aggression by dictators” by participating in “No Kings” demonstrations planned this weekend.
Trump’s parade is scheduled to take place on the president’s 79th birthday, which is also the 250th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Army.
A spokesperson for Walton, 76, told The Hill on Thursday that the ad “focuses on encouraging people to engage peacefully and civically in next weekend’s events” and stressed that her support is not related to protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Christy has provided no funding to organizations or individuals involved in the demonstrations in Los Angeles or other cities, nor has she provided any funding to those organizing the upcoming events,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Her interest is simply in encouraging people to listen to one another, participate in their communities, and productively engage on the issues they care about.”
“She condemns violence in all forms, and her message promotes civic engagement, peaceful dialogue, and the sharing of diverse views and voices,” the statement added.
While the ad promotes the No Kings protests and features the nokings.org website, a No Kings spokesperson told The Hill that the ads were “not run by or in coordination with” the group. Walmart also distanced itself from Walton’s anti-Trump push.
Trump rejected the “king” depiction while speaking to reporters on Thursday.
“I don’t feel like a king,” he said. “I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.”
Trump allies, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), have called out Walton’s ad online.
“Looks like the Walmart dynasty is big mad about China tariffs,” Luna wrote on the social platform X alongside a photo of the full-page promotion.
Some far-right social media accounts also have encouraged boycotts against Walmart stores, despite pushback from the company.
“The advertisements from Christy Walton are in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “She does not serve on the board or play any role in decision making at Walmart.”
Walton in the past has aligned with the Lincoln Project, giving thousands of dollars to the group of prominent conservatives who oppose Trump and his “Make America Great Again” agenda.
“The honor, dignity and integrity of our country are not for sale,” Walton’s ad this week read in bold text under an image of the Statue of Liberty. “Our government is of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Walton’s venture capitalist husband, John T. Walton, who was the second-oldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, died while piloting an experimental aircraft that crashed in 2005.