Trump wages war on Amazon as White House brands tariffs response a 'hostile and political act' against US
29 April 2025, 14:47 | Updated: 29 April 2025, 15:39
Donald Trump has declared war on Amazon, branding the retailer's tariff response a 'hostile and political act' against America.
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Marking 100 days in power for the US President, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt branded it the "most historic start" of any US president's term.
Tuesday saw the Trump administration take aim at Amazon and billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, accusing him of being 'hostile' and 'political' over US tariffs.
The White House was asked for comment following reports that Amazon will soon display the price of Trump tariffs on the cost of each product.
In response, the Press Secretary said: "This is a hostile and political act by Amazon".
Holding up what appeared to be a print out of a Reuters news article with a large picture of the Amazon owner, Leavitt claimed it showed Amazon is now partnered with what she described as the "Chinese propaganda arm".
The move marks the first major pushback against the US tech sector by Trump, with tycoons previously rallying behind the US President.
Just weeks earlier, the CEOs and founders of companies including Google, Amazon, Apple and Meta flanked the US President at his star-studded inauguration ceremony in Washington.
The latest pushback comes as Amazon reportedly plans to display the cost of Trump's tariffs clearly on its website in a bid to promote transparency.
The price hikes resulting from the tariffs on imported goods are set to be passed onto the consumer, with Trump's levies disproportionately affecting products from countries like China more heavily than others.
The move is notable, given the large proportion of products sold on the platform originate from countries across Asia.
The proposed price transparency, cited by Punchbowl News and originating from a "person familiar with the plan", saw Leavitt express outrage at the world's biggest online retailer.
During Tuesday's press conference, Trump's Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said the US's tariffs on China are "unsustainable for China".
He claimed that data seen by his department suggests China could lose as many as 10 million jobs "very quickly".
He failed to specify where the numbers originate from.
"The onus is on them" to adjust their tariffs, Bessent says, because China sells more goods to the US.
During the press conference, Levitt went on to accuse the marketplace of acting partisan - labelling them a "propaganda arm" of China.
"Why didn't Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?" she asked.
She continued: "It’s not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm.
"So this is another reason why Americans should buy American," Leavitt said.
It comes as Mark Carney hit out at Trump on Tuesday for 'trying to break us' as he stormed to an unprecedented victory in Canada's election.
Fuelled by threats from Donald Trump of annexation, Justin Trudeau’s party overcame a massive Conservative lead to remain in power.
After polls closed, the Liberals were projected to win more of parliament's 343 seats than the Conservative Party, though it was not immediately clear if they would win an outright majority or would need to rely on one or more smaller parties to form a government and pass legislation.
The Liberals were headed for a crushing defeat until the American president started attacking Canada's economy and threatening its sovereignty, suggesting it should become the 51st state.