Amazon Attacked in White House Row

The White House accused Amazon of a "hostile and political act" after a report said the e-commerce company was planning to inform customers how much Donald Trump's tariffs would cost them as they shopped.

- Blake Montgomery New York Callum Jones San Francisco

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was responding to a report in Punchbowl News, which, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that Amazon would begin displaying on its website how much the tariffs had increased the prices of individual products.

"Why didn't Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?" Leavitt asked during a press briefing.

She added it was "not a surprise" coming from Amazon, as she held up a copy of a 2021 article from Reuters with the headline: "Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm."

Prices have risen across the board at Amazon's online marketplace since Trump announced sweeping tariffs at the start of April, particularly on China, from where many products listed on Amazon.com ship.

In response, the company has put pressure on its third-party sellers to shoulder the burden of the extra import costs rather than pass them on to customers.

"This is another reason why Americans should buy American," Leavitt continued, though Amazon is based in Seattle.