By Olivier Acuña Barba •
Published: 29 Apr 2025 • 17:18
• 2 minutes read
There might be a riff between Trump and Bezos due to tariffs | Photo: Lev Radin / Shutterstock
The White House slammed Amazon for reportedly planning to display how much President Trump’s tariffs added to the cost of an item. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the e-commerce giants’ plan a “hostile and political act.”
A reporter in Tuesday’s White House press briefing asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent if they agreed that Amazon’s move was a “crystal-clear demonstration that it’s the American consumer, and not China, who is going to have to pay for these (Trump tariff) policies.”
Leavitt immediately took the podium, saying she had just recently spoken to Trump regarding Amazon’s announcement. “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest levels in 40 years?” Leavitt told reporters.
A Chinese propaganda arm
Leavitt also attacked Amazon, stating their decision was “not a surprise,” and quoted a recent Reuters article that said Amazon had “partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.”
When asked whether Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who was at Trump’s inauguration in January, is still a Trump supporter, Leavitt said she wouldn’t comment on relationships.
“I will not speak to the president’s relationships with Bezos, but I will tell you that this is certainly a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt said.
Bezos donated $1 million to support Trump during his campaign, and he forced the Washington Post, which he owns, to limit its opinion section to publishing only pieces in defense of “personal liberties and free markets.”
The online retail giant’s shares dropped more than 2 per cent in premarket trading immediately following the remarks. However, it has since recovered slightly. Approximately 70 per cent of products sold by Amazon are manufactured in China.
Amazon responds to the tariff price display
Later on Tuesday, an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the company was only considering listing tariff charges on some products for Amazon Haul, its budget-focused shopping section.
“The team that runs our ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products,” the spokesperson said. “This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site, and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
China-based Amazon competitors Shein and Temu have added significant surcharges in recent days. Temu now includes a line on its checkout tally showing an “import charge” that adds around 145 per cent for each item.
