The White House calls the decision “hostile” because it denies e-commerce companies considering the proposal.
Citing those familiar with the plan, a new report from Outlet Punch Bowl News says that Amazon could soon sacrifice consumers who shop on the company’s platforms to see how much the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump cost.
In response to Tuesday’s report, White House spokesman Caroline Leavitt said she discussed the president’s plans with the Amazon, and his message about it was “this is an adversarial and political act by Amazon.”
The White House also attempted to distract responsibility.
“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation at its highest level of 40 years?” Leavitt asked reporters at a White House briefing.
Inflation hit a 40-year high of over 9.1% in mid-2022 under then-US President Joe Biden. It peaked during the Covid-19 pandemic, with high inflation steadily declining in Biden’s last two years, reaching 3% in January 2025.
Amazon, a Seattle, Washington-based e-commerce giant, never considered listing tariffs on its main site, said it thought it was an ultra-low-cost platform. “The team that runs our ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul Store is thinking about listing import fees for certain products,” a company spokesperson told news agency Reuters.
The spokesman added that the idea “is never approved and is not intended to happen.”
Trump has imposed tariff coverage on US trading partners, including China’s 145% tariff, with a few exceptions to products that include smartphones. There is also a 10% blanket tariff in other countries.
On Wall Street, Amazon fell 2.2% in pre-market trading just after the report. At 11:30am (15:30 GMT), inventory was still close to yesterday’s market.