White House criticises Amazon over tariff display rumours
The White House has criticised Amazon and Jeff Bezos for reportedly planning to display the cost of tariffs imposed by Donald Trump alongside product prices on their shopping platform, according to cnbc.com. "This is a hostile and political action by Amazon," stated Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. However, the company denies such plans.
"The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products," a company spokesperson clarified when questioned by cnbc.com.
Despite being mere rumours, the possibility of implementing such a solution impacted the e-commerce giant's stock price and prompted a reaction from Donald Trump's administration.
Following reports of the potential intention to display tariff amounts next to product prices, Amazon's stock in pre-market trading fell by over 2 per cent.
The White House hits Amazon. Spokeswoman's reaction
During a briefing at the White House on Tuesday, a journalist asked Karoline Leavitt and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent whether they agree that Amazon's action is "a crystal-clear demonstration that it is the American consumer and not China that is going to have to pay for these policies."
According to cnbc.com, Leavitt opted to respond, noting that she had just spoken with the president about Amazon's announcement.
"This is a hostile and political action by Amazon," said Leavitt.
"Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration’s inflation hit the highest level in 40 years? I would also add that it’s not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm. This is another reason why Americans should buy American. It’s another reason why we are re-shoring critical supply chains here at home to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing here," added the White House spokeswoman.
The service notes that about 70 per cent of products sold on Amazon are manufactured in China. Donald Trump imposed tariffs of up to 145% on imports from the People's Republic of China.
