WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump escalated his feud with Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos on Monday, accusing the e-commerce giant of launching a “hostile and political act” against the United States by planning to visibly include the cost of U.S. tariffs on its product listings.
The White House responded with sharp condemnation after reports emerged that Amazon intends to display tariff charges — especially those tied to imports from China — directly on the price tags of items sold on its platform. According to Punchbowl News, which first reported the development, the decision aims to show customers how much tariffs, imposed under Trump’s trade policies, are adding to consumer prices.
Speaking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had just briefed Trump on Amazon’s planned change, calling the move “a hostile and political act by Amazon.” She further implied that the timing of the decision was intended to sway public opinion against the president’s protectionist trade agenda ahead of upcoming elections.
The administration’s tone turned sharply accusatory as Leavitt suggested the online retailer was acting as a tool of foreign influence. “It’s not a surprise,” she said, referencing a 2021 Reuters investigation that revealed Amazon’s collaboration with a Chinese government propaganda office to create a special sales portal. That partnership reportedly included the suppression of negative reviews on politically sensitive books and the accommodation of Beijing’s censorship demands.
Leavitt linked Amazon’s latest pricing transparency move to that partnership, urging Americans to reconsider where they spend their money. “This is another reason why Americans should buy American,” she said, adding that Amazon has “long ceased to be a neutral marketplace.”
Amazon has not publicly commented on the White House’s accusations or confirmed when the tariff-inclusive pricing will go into effect. However, internal sources cited by Punchbowl News said the initiative is framed as a customer-facing effort to improve pricing transparency at a time when inflation and trade tensions continue to impact retail.
The personal animosity between Trump and Bezos has been simmering for years, with the president often accusing the Amazon founder — who also owns The Washington Post — of using his media influence to undermine conservative leadership. Monday’s salvo marks a dramatic deepening of that conflict, now wrapped into broader geopolitical and economic tensions between the U.S. and China.
Trump has framed his aggressive tariff strategy as a path to restoring American manufacturing and limiting China’s economic leverage. He recently expanded tariff coverage to include online retailers such as Temu and Shein by closing the long-standing “de minimis” loophole, which had allowed packages under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. These companies, both China-based, have grown rapidly in the American market by offering low-cost fashion and electronics — often shipped directly to consumers from overseas warehouses.
The White House continues to call on Beijing to reengage in trade negotiations while warning that punitive tariffs will remain in place until key concessions are made. “We will not allow China to undercut American workers or American values,” Leavitt said during Monday’s press conference.
Economists and trade analysts, however, have raised alarms over the financial toll of Trump’s tariff regime on American families. A recent analysis by Yale University’s Budget Lab estimated that U.S. households may face up to $4,400 annually in added costs due to retaliatory tariffs and supply chain disruptions stemming from Trump’s policies. Critics argue that these added costs — now potentially visible on every Amazon listing — could become a political liability.
Still, Trump has remained firm in his rhetoric, positioning tariffs as a necessary tool to shift global trade balances and diminish reliance on Chinese goods. He has also continued to emphasize reshoring of manufacturing jobs and closing trade loopholes as cornerstones of his economic strategy heading into the 2026 midterms.
The administration’s war of words with Amazon reflects a broader battle over who controls the narrative surrounding trade policy. As the world’s largest online retailer begins to itemize the economic consequences of those policies, the political stakes continue to rise.
