diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gcc.dg/tree-ssa/pr97260.c b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.dg/tree-ssa/pr97260.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9b3723b7834
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.dg/tree-ssa/pr97260.c
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+/* PR tree-optimization/97260 */
+/* { dg-do compile } */
+/* { dg-options "-O2 -fdump-tree-optimized" } */
+/* { dg-final { scan-tree-dump "return 0;" "optimized" } } */
+
+int
+foo (void)
+{
+  const char a[] = "1234";
+  return __builtin_memcmp (a, "1234", 4);
+}
diff --git a/gcc/varpool.c b/gcc/varpool.c
index e0488ed5a12..86f16052984 100644
--- a/gcc/varpool.c
+++ b/gcc/varpool.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ along with GCC; see the file COPYING3.  If not see
 #include "context.h"
 #include "stringpool.h"
 #include "attribs.h"
+#include "tree-pass.h"
 
 const char * const tls_model_names[]={"none", "emulated",
 				      "global-dynamic", "local-dynamic",
@@ -412,6 +413,13 @@ ctor_for_folding (tree decl)
   if (!TREE_STATIC (decl) && !DECL_EXTERNAL (decl))
     {
       gcc_assert (!TREE_PUBLIC (decl));
+      /* Unless this is called during FE folding.  */
+      if (cfun
+	  && (cfun->curr_properties & (PROP_trees | PROP_rtl)) == 0
+	  && TREE_READONLY (decl)
+	  && !TREE_SIDE_EFFECTS (decl)
+	  && DECL_INITIAL (decl))
+	return DECL_INITIAL (decl);
       return error_mark_node;
     }