Amazon has no choice but to display tariffs on prices now

• Amazon was allegedly set to display tariffs on prices next to product listings, according to a rumor from Punchbowl News.
• The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, claimed that this move would be a “hostile and political act” by Amazon, sparking a reaction from President Trump.
• Amazon quickly denied the plan, stating that it was never approved and would not happen, with Tim Doyle confirming in an interview.
• The rumor sparked a strong reaction from the White House, highlighting concerns about price transparency and the potential impact on tariffs.
• The incident highlights the tension between Amazon’s business practices and government policies, particularly regarding tariffs and trade.

Here’s some dumb stuff that just happened:

• Punchbowl News, a new-ish DC publication which has an excellent record of political scoops but hasn’t done much tech reporting, published a single-sourced rumor that Amazon would soon begin showing tariffs next to prices.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked about this at a White House briefing.
• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped in to say that she had just discussed this story with President Trump. “This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” she said.
• Amazon caved almost immediately. “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,” the company’s Tim Doyle, told us.

Okay – a couple things. First, there was no “act” by Amazon, just a single-sourced story that everyone wanted to believe. So Leavitt (and, if you believe her, Trump) reacted with nuclear fury to the mere idea that a major American retailer might add price transparency to its website, because that transparency would make it ever more obvious that their tariff plans are basically nonsense. That fury resulted in …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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