The White House came out swinging Tuesday after reports that Amazon will start showing customers how much of a product’s price comes from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest levels in 40 years?”
According to Punchbowl News, Amazon plans to flag how much Trump-era tariffs have added to prices on its site. The move comes just as the Trump administration has pushed forward with steep trade penalties: a 145% overall tariff on Chinese goods and 10% tariffs on imports from all U.S. trading partners. There’s also a 90-day pause on even heavier “reciprocal” tariffs.
Leavitt called Amazon’s move “another reason why Americans should buy American” and a reason the administration is focused on bringing supply chains back to the U.S. “It’s another reason why we are onshoring critical supply chains here at home, to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing,” she said, while holding up a photo of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
She said she had already spoken to Trump earlier in the day about the issue. When asked whether Bezos, who attended Trump’s 2017 inauguration, still supports the president, Leavitt declined to say. “I will not speak to the president’s relationships with Jeff Bezos, but I will tell you that this is certainly a hostile and political act by Amazon,” she said.
This fight comes as top retail CEOs—including those from Walmart, Target, and Home Depot—met with Trump last week to discuss the impact of tariffs. This comes as major retailers warn that rising prices could hit consumers hard—especially during the holiday shopping season.
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