The White House hardly criticized Amazon on Tuesday (29) after reports that the online retail giant plans to display the costs of tariffs imposed by the Trump government alongside the total price of products on its site.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt classified the initiative as a “hostile and political act” during a press conference.
The statement generated immediate repercussion in the market, with Amazon’s shares falling more than 2% in the pre-market.
According to Punchbowl NewsAmazon intends to inform consumers the impact of tariffs directly on product prices.
The measure, which has not yet been officially confirmed by the company, aims to increase transparency about the additional costs generated by government trade policies.
However, the White House questioned the motivation behind the decision, suggesting that Amazon did not adopt similar stance during the Biden government.
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Amazon’s initiative is not unprecedented in the retail sector.
Companies such as Shein and Temu, both based in China, have already begun to include additional rates on their prices, highlighting the impacts of import tariffs.
The Tempu, for example, started to display a specific line in the checkout Called “Import Rate”, which can add up to 145% to the cost of each item.
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Nevertheless, Amazon’s decision seems to have generated a more significant friction with the Trump administration, especially due to the company’s history of donations and support to the president.
During the press conference, Leavitt also addressed the issue of the impact of tariffs on US consumers.
When asked by a reporter if Amazon’s measure would be a clear demonstration that tariff costs fall on consumers, not about China, the press secretary replied that she had just discussed the issue with the president.
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The answer signals a possible disagreement between Trump and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, who had previously demonstrated support to the president, including a donation of $ 1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.
