White House rips ‘hostile and political’ move by Bezos’ Amazon to display how much costs are for tariffs

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White House officials took a shot at Jeff Bezos and Amazon for its ‘hostile and political act’ to inform customers about tariff costs on their purchases, despite the billionaire tech mogul’s recent cozying up to President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Punchbowl News reported that Amazon decided to display the amount of money Trump’s aggressive tariff policy will add to the price of some of its products on its website. A claim that Amazon denies.

But the reported news fumed the White House, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasting the e-commerce giant’s reported move.

“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt said. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Amazon was making a ‘hostile and political’ move by displaying the price increases as a result of tariffs on its website (AFP via Getty Images)

Trump has announced sweeping tariffs on every nation, with notably high rates on China, but paused them. Trump said the new levies are necessary to balance American competitiveness in the global economy. Experts have said, however, that his plan will lead to increased prices.

Leavitt claimed the news was “not a surprise” and pointed to a December 2021 Reuters report, which she described as “recently reported,” which said Amazon “partnered with a China propaganda arm.”

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

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

Since winning the election in November, Bezos appeared to be cozying up to Trump, giving his inaugural fund $1 million, attending Trump’s inauguration and re-directing the editorial section of The Washington Post to focus on defending personal liberties and free markets.

As recently as this week, Trump had touted that Bezos and other billionaire allies “have been great.”

But Amazon’s decisions to be transparent about pricing as a result of Trump’s widely unpopular tariffs may have soured the relationship.

Bezos, the founder of Amazon, attended Trump’s inauguration in January, signaling the two had developed a friendlier relationship (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The White House Press Secretary declined to comment on Bezos’s current relationship with Trump but maintained that the company’s decision was “hostile and political.”

Amazon is among the large retailers bracing for the impact of tariffs. Trump’s 145 percent tariffs on China are expected to hurt the independent retailers who rely on imports. Approximately 60 percent of Amazon’s sales come from the smaller retailers.

Already, some sellers have backed out, or are reluctant to participate in, Amazon’s “Prime Day,” Reuters reported this week.

Trump has said he is in talks with China to ease some of the tariffs, but so far, no negotiations or announcement have been made.