Item 1 of 2 U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responds to questions with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis
[1/2]U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent responds to questions with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis Purchase Licensing Rights
WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) – Amazon.com denied a report on Tuesday that it planned to disclose the cost that U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump were adding to its products, after the White House blasted the initial story.
Amazon (AMZN.O)
, opens new tab said Tuesday it never considered listing tariffs on its main retail site and nothing was implemented on any company site. “The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” a company spokesperson said.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had discussed the Punchbowl News report with Trump, and his message about it was: “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon.”
The comments sent Amazon <AMZN.O> shares down 2.2% in premarket trading but shares rebounded are trading nearly flat.
Trump has imposed a tsunami of tariffs on U.S. trading partners, including China, which has seen tariff costs rise by 145% since Trump took office.
Leavitt said Amazon’s move was not a surprise given a 2021 report by Reuters that the tech company had partnered with a “Chinese propaganda arm.”
The White House tweeted a link to the Reuters report earlier Tuesday.
“So, this is another reason why Americans should buy American,” she said, underscoring the Trump administration’s efforts to shore up critical supply chains and boost domestic manufacturing.
Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland; additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Sophia Deborah in Bengaluru; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
