Washington (AFP) – The White House on Tuesday slammed Amazon over reports it would soon tell consumers how much US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have contributed to the price tag on its goods. “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a briefing in Washington. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” she added.
Earlier Tuesday, Punchbowl News reported that the e-commerce site will soon start showing “how much Trump’s tariffs are adding to the price of each product,” citing a person familiar with the matter. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
After taking office in January, Trump slapped a 10 percent baseline tariff on most countries, along with higher levies on dozens of countries — only to then pause the elevated rates for 90 days to allow for trade talks. The White House has also imposed steep duties on China and additional sector-specific measures — leading Beijing to impose its own retaliatory tariffs on US goods.
The uncertainty kicked up by the on-again, off-again tariff rollout has shaken financial markets, briefly pushing volatility up to levels not seen since the Covid-19 pandemic. While the endpoint of Trump’s tariffs is currently unknown, they are already starting to have an impact on businesses in the United States.
Package delivery giant UPS said Tuesday it plans to cut 20,000 positions worldwide in 2025 following a significant drop in business for Amazon, its largest customer. UPS Chief Executive Carol Tome said the firm, which had around 490,000 employees at the end of 2024, is taking the actions to “reconfigure” its operations in reaction to a “changing trade environment.”
© 2024 AFP
