In a surprising morning of backtracking and political sparring, e-commerce giant Amazon has scrapped a plan to display the impact of U.S. import tariffs on its main site, following a public rebuke from the White House. The move underscores the delicate balance companies face in navigating complex trade policies and public sentiment.
Earlier this week, Punchbowl News reported that Amazon intended to break down the extra cost from tariffs—imposed under the Trump administration—directly in product prices on Amazon.com. Rumors said each item would carry a line showing how much of the final price came from government-imposed duties.
On Tuesday morning, Amazon confirmed it explored the idea for its low-cost Haul unit, which focuses on affordable, Chinese mainland–made products, but it never planned to roll out the feature across its flagship site. Despite this clarification, the announcement initially sent Amazon shares down by 2 percent.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt branded the supposed pricing plan “a hostile and political act by Amazon,” questioning why the company hadn’t done so earlier “when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years.” Leavitt urged consumers to “buy American,” spotlighting growing calls for reshoring production.
Behind the scenes, former President Donald Trump phoned Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to vent over the report. According to a White House official, Trump praised Bezos after the issue was resolved, saying, “He solved the problem very quickly. He did the right thing.”
The kerfuffle highlights the broader fallout of Trump’s so‑called “tsunami” of tariffs on key trading partners. Duties on goods from the Chinese mainland have surged by 145 percent since his administration took office, prompting many retailers to warn of rising costs and supply‑chain headaches. Earlier this month, Best Buy executives cautioned that fresh tariffs “could increase costs, disrupt our supply chain and/or impact the availability of underlying technology critical to our operations.”
As global tariffs continue to shape business strategies and consumer prices, Amazon’s brief tariff-pricing skirmish offers a window into how companies manage policy shifts—and public perception—in an increasingly interconnected marketplace.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
