Amazon Denies Tariff Pricing Plan for Main Site Amid White House Criticism

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) shares dipped over 2% in pre-market trading Tuesday following comments from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who labeled the company’s reported plan to display U.S. tariff costs on products as a “hostile and political” move. The stock later recovered slightly, last trading down around 1%, after Amazon clarified that the initiative was never intended for its main platform.

According to Punchbowl News, Amazon was reportedly exploring a feature to show customers how much of a product’s price stems from tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The goal, the report claimed, was to increase price transparency amid rising trade tensions. However, Leavitt sharply criticized the e-commerce giant, questioning why a similar effort wasn’t made during the Biden-era inflation surge and pointing to past allegations of Amazon’s ties to Chinese entities.

“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt said, adding that the president had been informed of the matter. “It’s another reason why Americans should buy American and why we’re focused on onshoring our supply chains.”

In response, Amazon issued a statement denying any plans to implement tariff pricing displays on its main site. The company explained that the consideration was limited to its ultra low-cost Amazon Haul store, not the broader Amazon.com platform.

“The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products,” an Amazon spokesperson told Investing.com. “This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”

The clarification helped ease investor concerns, though political scrutiny remains high as trade policies and tech platforms continue to intersect in the 2024 U.S. election cycle.