On Tuesday (April 29), Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was the subject of an attack from the White House over plans by the consumer giant to detail the cost of trade tariffs to their customers. But a spokesperson for Amazon has refuted that report, and Bezos reportedly spoke with President Donald Trump afterward.
According to the Washington Post, the plan was that Amazon would use its low-cost shopping portal known as Amazon Haul to itemize the costs for consumers. The portal was launched last year to compete with Chinese-based budget retail giants Shein and Temu, which ship directly to customers from manufacturers in that nation.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that she discussed the proposed plan by Amazon, saying it was “another reason why Americans should buy American.” She continued, “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”
The uproar led Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle to answer press inquiries with a statement. “This was never approved and is not going to happen,” he said. Trump also spoke out about the situation, revealing he spoke with Bezos via phone and that he had “solved the problem.” The two have had a contentious relationship, with Trump attacking Bezos and the Washington Post during his first term, and Amazon filing a lawsuit against the Pentagon in 2019 over being denied a $10 billion lawsuit citing Trump’s willingness to “pursue his own personal and political ends” to harm Bezos. But Amazon was among other companies donating to the president’s inauguration fund earlier this year.
The move left many ripping Jeff Bezos for bending once again to the whims of Trump. “Wow Jeff Bezos is more pathetic than Donald Trump is stupid. Real unstoppable force meets an immovable object territory here,” wrote former Washington Post writer Matt O’ Brien in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Trump’s economic policy is based on pressuring and bribing the elite to pass on hidden import taxes to the populace,” University of Massachusetts economics professor Arin Duke opined in another X post.
Folded: Jeff Bezos Drops Alleged Amazon Tariff Plan After White House Barks
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