Amazon considered, then rescinded, price tags that show tariff impact.
White House Says Amazon Tariff Pricing Would Be ‘Political and Hostile’
Reporter: It was reported this morning that amazon will soon display a little number next to the price of each product that shows how much the Trump tariffs are adding to the cost of each product. Isn’t that a perfect crystal clear demonstration that it is the American consumer, and not China that is going to have to pau for these policies.
The question was to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed him aside to deflect the question.
Leavitt: I just got off the phone with the president about this announcement. This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden Administration hike inflation to the highest level in 40 years?
Hostile Political Act
Amusingly, it is now considered political act to tell the truth. Go figure.
And it gets straight to the heart of the matter as to who pays tariffs.
Rather than answer the question, the administration blames Amazon.
Amazon Backs Down
Unfortunately, Amazon Rules Out Displaying Import Charges After White House Criticism
The e-commerce giant said Tuesday it had considered displaying how much import charges would increase prices on its ultracheap shopping website Haul, but said the idea “was never approved and is not going to happen.”
Amazon also said it hadn’t considered the idea for the main Amazon site and no changes have been implemented on any Amazon properties.
Yet the company’s response was too late to avoid criticism from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt that sent its shares down in early morning trading.
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt told reporters. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years.”
The back and forth arose after Punchbowl News earlier reported that Amazon was going to show how much tariffs were adding to the price of products.
Amazon considered displaying import charges ahead of the Trump administration’s planned change starting May 2 to a popular tariff exemption, known as de minimis, for small shipments from China, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Every company should do what Amazon proposed to show what big liars the administration is.
As for why Amazon did not do this under Biden, did Biden stupidly put 145 percent tariffs on China?
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If China paid the tariffs not US consumers and businesses, there would not have been record trade deficits front-running the tariffs.
The administration is a pack of economically illiterate liars.