U.S. President Donald Trump called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday morning to complain about a news report that the e-commerce giant would show consumers the cost of the Trump administration's new tariffs, citing two people familiar with the matter, The Washington Post reports, UNN writes.
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Amazon denied the news report. In an emailed statement, company spokesman Tim Doyle said the team that runs Haul, Amazon's low-cost competitor to Temu, "considered including import fees on certain products." But it was "never considered for the main Amazon site," Doyle said, "and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon site." In an updated statement later, the company said, "This was never approved and will not happen."
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump praised Bezos and said the Amazon founder had done "the right thing." "Jeff Bezos is very nice. Wonderful," Trump said, according to a pool report. - He solved the problem very quickly. He did the right thing. Good guy."
Punchbowl News reported on Tuesday morning that Amazon would announce the costs, citing an unnamed source. At a joint press conference on Tuesday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said she had "just spoken on the phone" with Trump about Amazon's plans and criticized the company.
Leavitt declined to comment on Trump's relationship with Bezos.
A senior official later explained that the call was "good" and not about Trump's complaints.
Amazon shares fell on the back of Leavitt's comments when trading opened on Tuesday morning.
The comments reflect a growing political danger for the White House, as the consequences of its global trade war reach more and more Americans. While many economic indicators remain healthy, tariffs imposed by the administration, particularly on China, are expected to become more noticeable in the coming weeks and months. Nearly two out of three Americans disapprove of Trump's actions on tariffs, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
The CEOs of Walmart, Target and Home Depot - the nation's three largest retailers - warned the president last week that tariffs on Chinese goods would soon lead to higher prices and empty shelves, Axios reported.