Amazon tariffs cost display: Reported plan condemned by White House as ‘hostile’
According to the report, Amazon will soon display a breakdown of how much of an item’s cost is from tariffs directly next to the listed price.
WASHINGTON — Amazon may soon begin showing specific figures on its website telling shoppers how much tariffs are raising prices.
The news that the world’s largest e-commerce storefront will display updated tariff pricing was first reported Tuesday morning by Punchbowl News, citing an unnamed person familiar with the plan.
According to the report, Amazon plans to show a breakdown of how much of an item’s cost has gone up due to tariffs.
When asked about Amazon’s reported plan, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the company for what she called a “hostile and political act” against the Trump administration.
“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden Administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” Leavitt said during the Tuesday press briefing on Trump’s 100th day in office.
Leavitt suggested at Tuesday’s briefing with reporters that such transparency is un-American, saying “Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.”
She also confirmed that she had spoken with Trump shortly before the briefing, and that he was aware of the report.
Although unconfirmed officially, the move by Amazon would be in response to tariff actions taken in recent weeks by President Donald Trump, which have already caused uncertainty in the stock market and incited fears of a prolonged trade war with China.
Earlier this month, Trump laid out tariff numbers on nearly every country the U.S. does trade with. Despite calling them “reciprocal tariffs,” the import taxes didn’t appear to target those who had tariffs on U.S. goods. Instead, the taxes were placed on everybody from major U.S. allies in Europe to an island with a population of 0.
Eventually, after days of market turmoil, Trump announced a 90-day pause on most of the tariffs to negotiate with various countries.
But one he didn’t rescind was an increase in prices on Chinese goods. China, in turn, responded with its own additional tariffs on American imports.
Currently, the U.S. has a 145% tariff on Chinese imports, while China has a 125% tariff on American goods.
Analysts fear that the ongoing trade war could have massive consequences for consumers in the U.S., as China is the country’s largest trading partner and the world’s second-largest economy.
Already, some major ports say they’re forecasting less traffic from cargo ships, which are the main vehicle for transporting goods into the U.S.