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The White House has beaten what is called “hostile and political acts by Amazon” after claiming the tech giant is planning to show a price rise caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs on its products.
The original story reported by Punchbowl News on Tuesday said it would “soon” show the tax impact on “prices for each product” sold by the e-commerce group.
Speaking to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Trump complained about the company’s plans, and the company quickly returned the proposal.
“Jeff Bezos was very kind,” Trump said. “He was great. He solved the problem very quickly and he did the right thing. He’s a good guy.”
The Seattle-based group said such moves are only being considered on products sold through low-cost hauling platforms.
“The team that runs the ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul Store is thinking about listing import fees for a particular product,” says Amazon. “This is never considered by the main Amazon site and nothing is implemented in the Amazon properties.”
“This will never be approved and we will not be going to happen,” the company added.
Earlier in the day, White House spokesman Caroline Leavitt strove the company by saying it’s “no surprise” that Amazon would take such a step.
“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hike inflation to its highest level in 40 years?” she added.
Bezos has repaired his relationship with Trump. Trump once criticised him as a “threat to democracy,” but he criticised the second inauguration this year as President of the United States.
During his first term, Trump frequently denounced him for Bezos, calling him “Jeff Bozo” and accusing the billionaire of “buying the Washington Post to ensure political influence so that Amazon could benefit.
However, the relationship between the two men has warmed, with Bezos seeing Trump multiple times in the past year.
Amazon has donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and paid $40 million to a documentary about the president’s wife, Melania Trump. That total of about $28 million will go directly to the First Lady, said several people familiar with the matter.
Levitt’s accusations of Amazon’s “hostile” behavior come after Trump said about Bezos in an interview with the Atlantic that was announced this week. “He’s 100%. He was amazing.”
Amazon’s Haul Platform will sell cheap consumer goods shipped directly from Chinese warehouses and take advantage of the mission exemption known as the De Minimis Rule, a loophole that will close the White House from May 2nd.
Trump this month announced sudden “mutual” tariffs on dozens of US trading partners, plunging global markets. However, he later began negotiating with many countries with the aim of lowering their fees.
Additional Reports by Alex Rogers
