Amazon is not going through with supposed plans to list added tariff costs next to product prices after an unhappy Donald Trump phoned Jeff Bezos.
The huge online retailer’s plans had been slammed as “a hostile and political act” by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt who had spoken with the president about the decision. A source familiar with the matter said the president personally called Amazon founder Bezos to complain about the reported plans this morning. An aide told CNN the US president was “p*ssed off” when he personally made the call to the billionaire. They added: “Why should a multibillion dollar company pass off costs to consumers?”
Shortly afterwards a spokesman for Amazon confirmed: “The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and (is) not going to happen.”
Trump later added: “Jeff Bezos was very nice, he was terrific, he solved the problem very quickly and he did the right thing. He’s a good guy.”
Some other big name firms have already raised prices, including Amazon rivals Temu and Shein. The pair said in separate but nearly identical notices this month their operating expenses had gone up “due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs”.
Temu, owned by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, now lists added “import charges” – which have reportedly doubled many item prices. Shein, now based in Singapore, has a checkout banner that reads: “Tariffs are included in the price you pay. You’ll never have to pay extra at delivery.”
Trump argues that new tariffs will help revive US industry and manufacturing, but economists warn of financial consequences for consumers. A recent analysis by the Budget Lab at Yale University estimated that households could face up to £3,300 in additional annual costs due to retaliatory tariffs from China and higher prices on imported goods.
Yesterday marked 100 days since convicted felon Trump was sworn in for a second term – and the state of the world is crumbling under the weight of chaos and incompetence. The rules-based global order America once helped build is fracturing before the eyes of the world.
Trump has plunged the US into an economic tailspin, slapping the reckless tariffs on friends and foes and triggering a global trade war. Trillions have been wiped from global stock markets. Inflation is rising sharply on both sides of the Atlantic.
The US leader has gutted American diplomacy, disparaged NATO allies, cosied up to autocrats, floated wild ambitions to annex Greenland, and even suggested Canada should become the 51st state. American credibility abroad is in freefall.
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