‘Hostile and political’: White House slams Jeff Bezos over Amazon’s move to show Trump’s tariffs on price tags

The White House has slammed Jeff Bezos for Amazon’s ‘hostile and political act’ against America. This comes after Amazon announced it would show the cost of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on the price of products.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that she had just spoken to the president about Amazon’s latest move, adding that Trump gave a clear message: “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon.”

Amazon’s move was first reported by Punchbowl News, citing a person familiar with the plan.

“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” she expressed outrage, accusing the world’s biggest online retailer of acting in a partisan manner. She also claimed Amazon was serving as a willing tool of Chinese propaganda.

“It’s not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm. So this is another reason why Americans should buy American,” Leavitt said, citing a news article from December 2021.

At that time, Amazon maintained that it complied with all rules and laws in the nations where it conducts business, including China.

The recent development may have strained the relationship between Bezos and Trump, which earlier seemed to be improving since the Republican’s win in the elections last year in November. Bezos had donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund and attended Trump's inauguration.

Trump has maintained that his tariffs will help return jobs and industry back to the United States. However, estimates have shown that it would significantly impact American households due to the increased price of imports. The US president’s tariff moves have also impacted his approval rating adversely.