‘He Was Pissed’: Trump Reportedly Called Jeff Bezos to Fume at Report Amazon Would Slap Tariff Cost Labels On Products
(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
A furious President Donald Trump reportedly called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday after Punchbowl News reported that Amazon would slap labels on products explaining how Trump’s tariffs increased prices.
CNN first reported on the call, noting it “came shortly after one of the senior officials phoned the president to inform him of the story.”
“Of course he was pissed,” a senior official told CNN, “Why should a multibillion dollar company pass off costs to consumers?”
Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Henrich quickly confirmed the reporting, “Confirming reports – source familiar tells FOX that President Trump called Jeff Bezos this morning to complain about plans to display tariff impact on Amazon product prices.”
In a statement to the Washington Post’s Jeff Stein, Amazon quickly made clear it had no such plans.
Amazon’s statement read, “The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site, and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
The Punchbowl report also led to questions at a White House briefing hours after its publication, with the White House press secretary blasting the move.
“I just got off the phone with the president about Amazon’s announcement,” Karoline Leavitt said. “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon! Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”
The Punchbowl report claimed that “Amazon doesn’t want to shoulder the blame for the cost of” Trump’s trade war and will therefore “show how much Trump’s tariffs are adding to the price of each product, according to a person familiar with the plan.”
The White House’s hammering of Amazon and its quick denial comes amid mounting concern over shortages and price hikes due to Trump’s sweeping global tariffs. Reports of empty ports as container ship traffic from countries like China have raised alarm that retailers will soon run out of goods.
