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White House blasts Amazon for 'hostile and political' tariff move

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Amazon (AMZN) is denying reports that it will display the impact of tariffs next to the price of products on its e-commerce site, which drew the ire of the Trump administration on Tuesday.

"The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products," Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle said in a statement. "This was never approved and is not going to happen.”

According to CNN White House reporter Alayna Treene, President Trump personally called Jeff Bezos to complain about the original tariff report from Punchbowl News, which stated that Amazon would show tariff-related price increases on goods.

Trump commented on the matter during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, saying, "Jeff Bezos is very nice. Terrific. He solved the problem very quickly. He did the right thing. Good guy."

Before Amazon released its statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the move "a hostile and political act."

Amazon stock was off 1% in midday trading.

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On Monday, Reuters reported that some Amazon merchants were planning to pare back their participation in the company's Prime Day event this summer due to tariff uncertainty.

"Why didn't Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?" Leavitt said following the Punchbowl News report. "And I would also add that it's not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm."

It's unclear which report Leavitt was referring to, but a 2021 report from Reuters said Amazon partnered with China's propaganda arm to sell some publications on its US site.

Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk arrive before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)
Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk arrive before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool) · ASSOCIATED PRESS

"So this is another reason why Americans should buy American," Leavitt added.

"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 here."

Speaking earlier this month on CNBC, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said when asked about tariffs, "We're going to try and do everything we can to keep prices as low as possible for customers."

Asked about the company's contact with the Trump administration, Jassy said, "We [talk] to the administration all the time."

"We share with them different ... things that we think matter to consumers, things that we would think matter to enterprises ... [We] have some conversations about tariffs as well. And we share what some of the concerns are and they're aware of them."