CNBC reported: President Donald Trump personally called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday to complain about a report that the online retail giant was considering displaying U.S. tariff costs on its products listings, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.
Within hours of the call, Amazon publicly downplayed the scope of its plan – and then announced that it had been scrapped entirely.
The pressure campaign on Bezos by Trump and the White House came after Punchbowl News reported earlier Tuesday 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 matter told the news outlet.
Amazon shares dropped more than 2% in premarket trading immediately following the remarks. By noon, the stock had recovered its losses.
Less than two hours after the press briefing, an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the company was only ever considering listing tariff charges on some products for Amazon Haul, it’s budget-focused shopping section.
Amazon is not the first retailer to put a spotlight on how new tariffs are changing its prices.
Deseret News reported: 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 uncharges in its product price listings.
Referencing a Punchbowl News report briefing that Amazon was planning to adda 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,” Leaviitt said. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years.”
TechCrunch reported: Amazon is bringing back its annual sales event, Prime Day, in July, the e-commerce giant said on Tuesday.
This year, consumer demand for the popular sale event could be dampened by the possibility of tariffs increasing the cost of goods.
To highlight the impact of President Trump’s tariffs, Amazon will reportedly begin to display the cost of the tariffs next the total price of President Trump’s tariffs, Amazon will reportedly begin to display the cost of the tariffs next to the total price of goods on it site, according to Punchbowl News.
Amazon quickly responded, telling The Washington Post (then publishing the comment on its blog) that the listing import charges was something it had only considered for its low-cost Amazon Haul store, not the main site.