The White House unleashed a fiery rebuke of Amazon Tuesday, accusing the retail giant of a “hostile and political act” over reports it planned to display the added cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs next to product prices.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered the sharp criticism during a press briefing marking Trump’s 100th day in office.
The controversy stems from a Punchbowl News report claiming Amazon would soon highlight tariff costs on its website, breaking down how much Trump’s trade policies add to item prices.
Leavitt didn’t hold back, slamming the move as a deliberate jab at the administration’s America-first agenda.
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” she declared.
Leavitt then doubled down, questioning Amazon’s seemingly partisan motives.
“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” she asked.
She held up a printout of a news story that said Amazon “has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.” That appeared to be a 2021 article that said Amazon “has survived and thrived in China by helping to further the ruling Communist Party’s global economic and political agenda, while at times pushing back on some government demands.”
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Leavitt underscored a broader point, as well.
“This is another reason why Americans should buy American,” she said, urging consumers to support home-grown businesses over foreign imports.
The tariffs in question, including a hefty 145 percent levy on Chinese goods, reflect Trump’s aggressive trade strategy, which Republicans argue protects U.S. workers from unfair global competition.
Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos, relies heavily on imports, with about 70 percent of its products sourced from China, making it particularly vulnerable to Trump’s policies, according to CNBC.
The company quickly backpedaled, with a representative telling Axios that the tariff display was only considered for its budget-focused Amazon Haul platform and was not authorized for broader use.
“This was never approved and is not going to happen,” he said.
Still, the White House’s response sent Amazon’s stock dipping over 2 percent in premarket trading, before recovering by noon. It was a sign that Leavitt’s — and by extension, Trump’s — words carried weight in the markets.
The episode is particularly striking, given Bezos’ recent overtures to Trump. Bezos expressed optimism about Trump’s second term as recently as December, saying he was “hopeful” the administration would succeed and that he was “going to help.”
Bezos, who donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and dined with him at Mar-a-Lago, seemed to have buried past tensions, making Amazon’s reported tariff move — even if it was “never approved” — a puzzling misstep.
Amazon’s denial that the tariff display was ever planned for its main site hasn’t quelled the White House’s ire, with Leavitt noting she discussed the issue directly with Trump before the briefing.
This clash underscores the high stakes of Trump’s trade war, which Republicans defend as a necessary shake-up to prioritize American jobs and industries over globalist interests.
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