Clash between White House and Amazon: ‘Showing the impact of tariffs is political’

Washington accuses the e-commerce giant of hostility for speculating about highlighting the effect of tariffs on prices. Amazon clarifies: ‘Just a discussed idea for the low-cost section’

The American administration has severely criticised the e-commerce giant for the idea, circulated internally within the company, of indicating to customers how the imposition of duties affects the final price of products. For presidential spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt this would be a clearly political manoeuvre: ‘This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why didn’t they do this when the Biden administration drove inflation to the highest level in 40 years?’ she told reporters.

The White House reaction comes at a time when trade policies, especially those related to competition with China, are back at the centre of the economic and pre-election debate. The idea that Amazon could influence public perception by showing the direct impact of tariffs was interpreted as an implicit criticism of the current administration’s hard line on imports and tariffs.

For its part, Amazon has attempted to downplay the scope of the controversy. In an official note, a group spokesperson clarified: ‘The idea was simply considered by a team working on our ultra low-cost Amazon shop. Our teams are constantly discussing new options to improve the customer experience. But this hypothesis was never even considered for the main store’.

The story, for now, remains at the level of rhetorical tension, but it shows how large digital platforms and e-commerce giants are increasingly involved in political and strategic dynamics, even far beyond their commercial scope.

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