The White House took aggressive aim at Amazon, which confirmed Tuesday it was considering displaying the added cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on certain items.
At a briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the move a “hostile and political act,” adding that she had spoken about the matter with President Trump earlier.
Punchbowl News first reported that Amazon will soon “display how much of an item’s cost is derived from tariffs – right next to the product’s total listed price.” The move could directly illustrate to American consumers how Trump’s tariffs are affecting the cost of goods. Trump has slapped 145% tariffs on imports from China and a 10% minimum tax on all other countries.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, shows a picture of Jeff Besos at the White House, Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Washington.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to CNN that the move “was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
Amazon, however, said it was considering the “idea of listing import charges on certain products” on Haul, its spinoff website that sells items below $20, but the change wasn’t rolled out.
“This was never approved and not going to happen,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Trump called Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, to complain about reports that his company was considering displaying the cost of US tariffs next to prices for certain products on the company’s website, two senior White House officials told CNN.
The call came shortly after one of the senior officials phoned the president to inform him of the story.
“Of course he was pissed,” one of the officials, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told CNN. “Why should a multibillion dollar company pass off costs to consumers?”
Other e-commerce websites, like Shein and Temu, have said they implemented changes to their pricing due to the cost of tariffs. Temu has even introduced a new import charge that is displayed at checkout. Both companies source most of their products from China.
Amazon (AMZN) shares fell about 1% in early trading.
Leavitt on Tuesday also cited a Reuters report from 2021 about an alleged partnership between Amazon and a “Chinese propaganda arm” that censored user reviews on its Chinese website for President Xi Jinping’s speeches and writings.
She said that was “another reason why Americans should buy American,” adding that “it’s another reason why we are onshoring critical supply chains here at home, to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing here.”
Leavitt declined to say what the move portended for the relationship between Trump and billionaire Bezos. Bezos has actively worked to cultivate a relationship with the president in his second term, congratulating him on his November election and dining at the White House.
Amazon donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund and is producing a documentary focused on first lady Melania Trump.
Trump recently praised Bezos, telling The Atlantic in an interview published Monday: “He’s 100 percent. He’s been great.”
Bezos’ net worth has declined by $30 billion since the start of this year, according to Bloomberg Billionaire Index, partly as a result of Trump’s tariff policies and a decline in the stock market.
