Amazon's Behavior Makes Walmart's Earnings Call Look Like a Profile in Courage

The article discusses the contrasting responses of various U.S. institutions to the demands and controversies surrounding a convicted former president. While some, like Harvard, demonstrate accountability by defending their rights, others, such as the University of Michigan, abandon their principles. Retailers are also affected, with Walmart's CEO highlighting the impact of tariffs on pricing amidst ongoing political rhetoric. The article underscores the complexities of institutional integrity in the face of corrupt practices and economic pressures.

This week, a version of that dynamic developed in the retail sector as Walmart's CEO announced on a call with investors that the company will soon be raising prices on some of the items it sells because of the tariffs that Trump has imposed.

Among those sticking up for themselves, you have Harvard, whose president is cutting his own salary while the university fights the administration in court for the federal funds to which it is entitled.

It has been, let's say, illuminating to see which U.S. institutions have shown some backbone—even in a measured and self-interested way—when confronted with the corrupt requests of a president who was recently convicted of fraud.

Provocative to see which institutions have very much not stood up for themselves, much less for anyone else.

Read at Slate Magazine