The White House on Tuesday slammed Amazon for reportedly planning to display the cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs next to the total price of products on its site.
“This is hostile and political act by Amazon,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” Leavitt asked.
She added, “This is another reason why Americans should buy American.”
Shares of the online retail giant founded by Jeff Bezos dropped more than 2% in premarket trading following the remarks.
Amazon did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The Trump administration’s aggressive swipe came in response to Punchbowl News’ report earlier Tuesday morning that Amazon will soon show consumers how much of an item’s cost comes from tariffs.
The amount added as a result of tariffs will be displayed right next to each product’s total listed price, a person familiar with the plan told the news outlet.
A reporter in Tuesday’s press briefing asked Leavitt and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent if they agreed that Amazon’s move is a “crystal clear demonstration that it’s the American consumer, and not China, who is going to have to pay for these policies.”
Amazon is not the first retailer to put a spotlight on how new tariffs are changing its prices.
China-based fast fashion giants Shein and Temu have both added massive surcharges in recent days. Temu now includes a line on its checkout tally showing an “import charge” that adds around 145% for each item.
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— CNBC’s Annie Palmer contributed to this report.
