Amazon slammed by White House as 'hostile' after vowing to expose cost of Trump's tariffs on each product
The White House has slammed Amazon after the digital marketplace decided to display the cost of US President Donald Trump's tariff plan on every item sold.
Donald Trump's decision to implement import tariffs on every country across the world - including some that have no inhabitants - could have long term effects on the tech industry as a whole, but the short term pressure is certainly placed on the average American consumer.
Many were worried that the upcoming release of Nintendo's next console could see a major price hike, and analysts have outlined that American-made iPhones would cost around $3,500. However, an increase in the price of Amazon products could significantly harm the pockets of many nationwide.
As a consequence, consumers might be less likely to buy on Jeff Bezos' website, yet Amazon has decided to put the onus on the government itself by 'exposing' the additional cost tariffs for each item.
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While many would rightfully call this a justified measure that simply helps consumers understand why their prices might have increased, the White House and President Trump are seeing it in a bit of a different light.
When asked for its position on Amazon's new move, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt relayed the shocking thoughts of the president, as reported by CBS News:
"This is a hostile and political act by Amazon," declared Leavitt. "Why did Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years, and I would also add that it's not a surprise because as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon is partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.
"So this is another reason why Americans should buy America, 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 capability."
Certainly a bold position to take when Jeff Bezos has been one of Trump's most vocal supporters following his attendance of the presidential inauguration, to the point where the billionaire even limited certain political stances in the Washington Post's opinion section.
Bezos' support of Trump came up as a follow up question during the press conference, illustrating:
"Look, I will not speak to the president's relationships with Jeff Bezos, but I will tell you that this is definitely a hostile and political action by Amazon."
Bezos is of course 'only' the Executive Chairman of Amazon in his current role, having stepped down as CEO back in July 2021, but the thorny remarks thrown by the White House could prove to be a challenge to his relationship with Trump.
Many on Reddit aren't convinced by the White House's hostility towards Amazon either, as one points out: "So confused - I thought the goal was to discourage purchasing imports and encourage purchasing made in America. Won't this help people identify what is American made?"
"Why wouldn't Amazon have complete transparency on these cost increases?" Questioned another, adding that "I think the people have a right to know."
Others are also growing tired of the Trump administration's repeated reference to Biden's government, with one hilariously pointing out: "Biden is so powerful he controls what the Trump admin can do. They're so weak they just can't combat the all powerful God Biden. We should pray he comes back and reverses his powerful policies that Trump just can't seem to combat."
Amazon have shown no sign so far that they're willing to go back on this move, so it could illuminate to many Americans quite how much the recent tariffs have ended up costing them.