‘Not going to happen’: Amazon responds to White House barb over purported tariff transparency plan
Amazon pushed back on a report about an apparent plan to show consumers tariff-related costs that drew sharp criticism from the White House. Punchbowl News reported Tuesday that Amazon “will soon show how much Trump’s tariffs are adding to the price of each product.” Amazon recently launched Amazon Haul, a discount storefront aimed at competing with Chinese e-commerce giants Temu and Shein. In her comments at the White House briefing, Leavitt asked: “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” Trump reportedly called Bezos on Tuesday about the tariff-related reports. Trump’s broader 145%… Read More
Amazon pushed back on a report about an apparent plan to show consumers tariff-related costs that drew sharp criticism from the White House.
Punchbowl News reported Tuesday that Amazon “will soon show how much Trump’s tariffs are adding to the price of each product.”
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it a “hostile and political act” in response to a question about the Punchbowl report. She said she “just got off the phone with the president about Amazon’s announcement.”
- In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle told GeekWire: “The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen.”
Amazon recently launched Amazon Haul, a discount storefront aimed at competing with Chinese e-commerce giants Temu and Shein.
- These businesses will be impacted by Trump’s plan to eliminate the “de minimis” exemption for imports from China, effective May 2. The U.S. trade rule allowed shipments valued under $800 to avoid tariffs. It’s described as a loophole for cheap products from China, fueling the rise of low-cost platforms like Shein and Temu that ship directly to consumers, bypassing traditional bulk shipments to warehouses.
- Temu is now adding “import charges” of around 145%, CNBC reported.
In her comments at the White House briefing, Leavitt asked: “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”
- She also said “it’s not a surprise,” while showing a copy of a Reuters story from 2021 about Amazon partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm.
- Asked about if Bezos “is still a Trump supporter,” Leavitt said: “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 by Amazon.”
Trump reportedly called Bezos on Tuesday about the tariff-related reports.
- Since the election in November, Bezos has been among those expressing a willingness to work with the Trump administration. He was among tech leaders who attended the presidential inauguration. Bezos said in December he was “very optimistic” about Trump’s return to office, saying that he thinks Trump is “calmer” and “more confident and more settled” this time around.
Trump’s broader 145% China tariffs could impact Amazon in a big way. There are millions of third-party sellers on Amazon — which make up more than 60% of the company’s store sales — who source products from China and other countries.
