Following the announcement on Tuesday that Amazon could reveal the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on its products, it was reportedly the president himself who directed Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to issue a public warning to the company.
Reports indicated on Wednesday that Trump also contacted Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to voice his discontent. An adviser informed CNN that “he was pissed” because of Amazon’s decision.
But Amazon was quick to abandon the plan. Trump openly celebrated Bezos submitting to pressure, signaling a concerning trend of increasing autocratic intimidation.
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The New Republic reported Wednesday that a new PRRI poll reveals public opinion about Trump’s authoritarianism, and a majority now sees him as a “dangerous dictator.”
"As Trump bullies private companies to stop them from telling the truth about his tariffs, a public opinion researcher shares new data illustrating the depths of public revulsion over his dictatorial reign," the New Republic report said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the White House press secretary reacted to a report that Amazon has decided to place a “tariff price” next to every item they sell, indicating how much of the price of that item results from Trump’s tariffs. Leavitt described it as a "hostile and political act."
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why did Amazon do this… It’s not a surprise because Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm," she claimed during a press briefing Tuesday.
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Following Leavitt's remarks, Amazon issued a statement saying it “never” had any plans to show tariff costs for products on their main website.
"The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store has considered listing import charges on certain products. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties," the statement said.
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