Administrative officials under President Trump label Amazon's customs duty disclosure strategy as a "hostile" and "politically-charged" maneuver.
In a recent development, Amazon is facing criticism from the White House over its potential tariff transparency initiative. The media storm was precipitated by a report from Punchbowl News about Amazon preparing to display tariff costs up-front in its product listings, a move similar to that of retailers such as Temu and Shein. However, it is unclear if Amazon has made a decision about following these retailers' lead.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, described Amazon's plan as a "hostile and political act." Leavitt suggested that Americans should buy American goods instead. This criticism comes after Leavitt had just gotten off the phone with the President discussing this matter.
Amazon might have aimed to avoid customer ire by shifting blame for price rises to tariffs, but the potential transparency initiative could mark a change in its recent Trump appeasement plans. The source cited by Punchbowl News is someone familiar with the plans, and Amazon has not yet responded to these reports.
The Trump Administration has maintained and adjusted tariffs but has not publicly endorsed or opposed Amazon or others revealing tariff costs on product listings. During a White House presser, a reporter asked if the government representatives agreed that Amazon's move would make the American consumer pay for these policies. The reporter asked if this was a "crystal clear demonstration that it's the American consumer, and not China, who is going to have to pay for these policies." Leavitt responded that this is a hostile act by Amazon and questioned why Amazon didn't do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years.
Amazon’s current approach is managing tariffs by incentivizing early buying, offering discounts, and adjusting seller strategies rather than showing tariff charges explicitly on product pages. This strategy is seen in Amazon's extended sales events like its 2025 Prime Day.
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[1] Punchbowl News, "Amazon prepares to display tariff costs up-front in product listings," [link], accessed August 2025. [2] CNBC, "White House press secretary criticizes Amazon over tariff transparency plan," [link], accessed August 2025. [3] Bloomberg, "Trump Administration's stance on tariffs," [link], accessed August 2025.
- The potential tariff transparency initiative by Amazon has sparked criticism from the White House, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt labeling it as a "hostile and political act."
- The proposed move by Amazon to display tariff costs up-front in its product listings could be seen as a shift away from its recent strategy of managing tariffs by incentivizing early buying, offering discounts, and adjusting seller strategies.
- Politics and policy-and-legislation surround the debate over tariffs, with the Trump Administration having maintained and adjusted tariffs, but not publicly endorsing or opposing companies like Amazon revealing tariff costs on product listings.
