Trump hails Bezos for scrapping plan to show Amazon shoppers tariff price hikes on products

President Donald Trump thanked Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after the company reportedly scrapped a plan to display the added cost of tariffs on some products.

“Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific,” Trump said Tuesday after the reportedly furious president called Bezos on the phone. “He solved the problem very quickly. And he did the right thing. He’s a good guy.”

Punchbowl News had reported that Amazon was set to “display how much of an item’s cost is derived from tariffs — right next to the product’s total listed price.”

Amazon, however, pushed back in a statement, saying, “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 reportedly called Bezos following the report to complain about the possible policy, which would have detailed to American consumers how much Trump’s tariffs are affecting the cost of goods. Trump has instituted 145 percent tariffs on China and a 10 percent levy on all other countries.

The president placed the call after a White House official called the president to inform him about the story, according to CNN.

“Of course he was pissed,” an official told the outlet. “Why should a multibillion-dollar company pass off costs to consumers?”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing on Tuesday that Amazon was guilty of a “hostile and political act.”

Similarly, during an appearance on CNBC on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said it would be a hostile act if a company took steps to “make it seem” as if tariffs had caused price changes, calling it “nonsense.”

“A 10 percent tariff is not going to change virtually any price,” he claimed. “The only price [that] will change would be a product that we don’t make here, like a mango.”

Tariffs are typically passed onto consumers via higher product prices, and many economists expect Trump tariffs to increase inflation.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had called on companies to display the cost of tariffs next to their products.

“To the large businesses that sell to consumers, I say, show your customers how much tariffs are hurting their pocketbook. People deserve to know the impact tariffs have on their finances,” Schumer said on the floor of the Senate.

Sites such as Shein and Temu have said they have made pricing changes because of tariffs. For instance, Temu has put in place an import charge that is shown at checkout. The products of both Shein and Temu mostly come from China.

On Tuesday, Leavitt pointed to a 2021 Reuters report regarding an alleged partnership between Amazon and a “Chinese propaganda arm” that censored reviews on its Chinese site for the speeches and writings of President Xi Jinping.

The press secretary argued that it was “another reason why Americans should buy American.”

It’s “another reason why we are on-shoring critical supply chains here at home, to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing here,” she added.

Bezos’ net worth has decreased by $30 billion since the beginning of the year, partly because of the new tariffs and a downturn in the stock market.

The billionaire has taken steps to build a relationship with Trump, making an effort to congratulate him on his election victory in November and attending the inauguration and a dinner at the White House.

Amazon donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee, and it’s producing a documentary about the first lady, Melania Trump.

“He’s 100 percent. He’s been great,” Trump recently told The Atlantic regarding Bezos.