The White House criticized a recent report regarding Amazon as a “hostile and political act.” This report, initially covered by Punchbowl News, claimed that Amazon planned to display the impact of tariffs from Donald Trump’s administration on its product prices.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, questioned why Amazon didn’t implement similar actions during the Biden administration when inflation rates were high. She expressed that Amazon’s potential decision was unsurprising.
Amazon later clarified that the consideration of displaying import charges was only for goods sold through its Haul platform, not the main Amazon site, and stated that no such implementation was approved or planned.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, who once criticized Trump, has recently mended relations, attending Trump’s second inauguration and meeting him multiple times. Amazon contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and invested $40 million in a Melania Trump documentary, with a portion of that sum directed to the First Lady.
Amidst the criticism from Leavitt, Trump recently praised Bezos in an interview. The Haul platform, known for selling inexpensive goods from Chinese warehouses, capitalizes on duty exemptions, a loophole set to close from May 2.
Earlier this month, Trump announced significant tariffs on several U.S. trading partners, affecting global markets, although negotiations have begun to potentially reduce these rates.
