Rift between Donald Trump and Jeff Bezos? White House accuses Amazon of ‘hostile and political act’ on tariffs

The White House on Tuesday, April 29, accused Amazon of a hostile and political act on the Trump tariffs, after the company reportedly displayed the cost of the import duties on its products, reported the news agency Bloomberg, citing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. The White House Press Secretary also questioned why Amazon did not do this when the Biden administration hiked the US inflation.

The US Press Secretary's comments came right after a Punchbowl News report citing people in the know, who said that Amazon will soon show how much Trump's tariffs are adding to the cost of each product.

The report mentioned that the online prices will show how much of an item's cost is derived from tariffs, next to the total listed price of the good.

According to a Reuters report from December 17, 2021, Amazon was marketing a collection of President Xi Jinping's speeches and writings on the company's Chinese website nearly two years ago, people aware of the development told the news agency. 

The agency report highlighted that Amazon's move to partner with the Chinese government was a much “deeper” and a “decade-long” effort from the company to protect and grow its business in the Asian nation's market.

Companies like Amazon and Shein are preparing themselves for 120 per cent tariffs on their products after the US government decided to end the “de minimis” exemption for small packages from China to the US, as per the report.

Leavitt also said that she spoke to President Trump about the report and went on to criticise Amazon compliance with censorship demands by the Chinese government.

“I will not speak to the president’s relationships with Jeff Bezos,” Leavitt told the reporters.

However, according to a CNN report citing two senior White House personnel, US President Donald Trump called for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday morning to complain about reports that his company was considering displaying the cost of US tariffs next to prices for certain products on its e-commerce website. 

Amazon Share Price

Amazon shares were trading 0.45 per cent lower asof 11:53 a.m. (EDT) on Nasdaq during Tuesday's stock market session at $186.79, compared to $187.70 at the previous stock market close.

Amazon shares have given more than 60 per cent returns in the last five years, and more than 3 per cent returns in the last one-year period. However, on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the shares have lost more than 15 per cent in 2025.

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