White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Amazon for reportedly initially planning to display tariff costs next to products on its website for consumers, calling it a “hostile and political act.”
“Amazon will soon display a little number next to the price of each product that shows how much the Trump tariffs are adding to the cost of each product,” a reporter said to Leavitt at a Tuesday morning White House press briefing. “So, isn’t that a perfect, crystal-clear demonstration that it’s the American consumer, and not China, who is going to have to pay for these policies?”
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” the press secretary responded. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”
Leavitt also accused the e-commerce company of having “partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.”
“Is Jeff Bezos still a Trump supporter?” the reporter asked, referring to the founder of Amazon who was among the tech billionaires present at President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
“Look, I will not speak to the president’s relationships with Jeff Bezos, but I will tell you that this is certainly a hostile and political action,” Leavitt replied.
Amazon disputed the report after the White House’s comments. CNN reported that Trump called Bezos on Tuesday morning to complain about it shortly after a senior official informed the president of the story.
