- The White House called reports of Amazon listing tariff-related charges on pricing 'hostile and political.'
- Amazon later clarified the idea was briefly considered for some products but will not be implemented.
- Some Chinese e-commerce companies now showing tariff charges for U.S. customers.
A spokesperson for President Donald Trump clapped back on Amazon following a report that the e-commerce giant plans to add a line item for tariff-related upcharges in its product price listings.
Referencing a Punchbowl News report briefing that Amazon was planning to add a tariff-related number to product prices during a Tuesday press briefing, a reporter asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, “Isn’t that a perfect, crystal clear demonstration that it’s the American consumer and not China who is going to have to pay for these policies?”
Before Bessent could respond, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt interjected that she had “just got off the phone with the president about Amazon’s announcement.”
“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.”
Amazon clarifies tariff price listing idea
Later Tuesday, an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the company was only ever considering listing tariff charges on some products for Amazon Haul, its budget-focused shopping section.
“The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products,” the spokesperson said. “This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
In a follow-up statement, the spokesperson clarified that the plan to show tariff surcharges was “never approved” and is “not going to happen.”
Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has been accused of attempting to cozy up to Trump during his second term following recent editorial policy changes at the Post and Bezos’ $1 million contribution to the president’s inaugural fund.
Chinese retailers adding tariff upcharges
China-based Temu, the world’s second-most visited e-commerce site behind Amazon, began making its own tariff-related changes to product pricing for U.S. customers over the weekend, adding “import charges” reflecting increases of 130% to 150% on some products.
Another Chinese online retailer, Shein, also raised prices on its site but has not broken out charges that may be related to tariffs, according to Sunday report by CNBC.
While Trump announced a 90-day pause on a sweeping array of new reciprocal trade tariffs on April 9, on the same day he upped the ante on levies for goods imported from China.
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Trump wrote in an April 9 posting to Truth Social. “At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable.”
While the increase on tariffs targeting Chinese imports was announced at 125%, the administration later revised the figure and, accounting for previous tariff increases, the actual rate came in at 145%.