White House calls Amazon tariff pricing display ‘hostile and political act’

The White House on Tuesday responded to a report that Amazon will soon display how much President Donald Trump’s tariffs will add to the cost of each item for sale on its site, calling the e-commerce giant’s move a "hostile and political act."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took the question from a reporter during a press briefing alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

"This is a hostile and political act by Amazon," Leavitt said. "Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?" 

Punchbowl News first reported that Amazon would be showing how much of an item’s cost is derived from Trump’s tariffs next to the total listed price of each product on its website for consumers. 

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Amazon did not immediately respond to Fox Business Digital's request for comment on the report.

Leavitt then appeared to cite a 2021 Reuters article with the headline "Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm." The article reported that Amazon complied with an edict from China to stop allowing customer ratings and reviews in China.

"And I would also add that it’s not a surprise, because Reuters recently wrote, ‘Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm,’" Leavitt said while holding up a printed version of what appeared to be the Reuters article. "So this is another reason why Americans should buy American, 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 here."

When asked whether Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the world’s second-richest man behind Elon Musk, was still a supporter of Trump, Leavitt sidestepped the question.

"I will not speak to the president’s relationship with Jeff Bezos but I will tell you that this is certainly a hostile and political action by Amazon," she said.

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Trump and Bezos appear to be on better terms during Trump’s second term in the White House, according to the president's interviews in recent months.

Last month, Trump spoke positively about Bezos in interviews with the media, including OutKick's Clay Travis, and said he was optimistic about his working relationship with the Amazon founder.

"(Bezos is) a good guy," Trump said. "I didn't really know him in the first term. I mean, it's such a difference between now and the first time."

Bezos also owns the Washington Post and announced in February that the outlet would be changing the content of its opinion pages, a move that Trump has praised. 

Trump also spoke of Bezos during an interview with The Atlantic published on Monday. 

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"He’s 100 percent. He’s been great," the president said of Bezos. 

Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck and Rachel del Guidice contributed to this report.