Politics
NEW: Karoline Leavitt Exposes Bezos, Amazon After Tariff Stunt
Trump administration officials came out guns blazing to mark the president’s first 100 days in office, pointing to a slew of economic victories to justify continued tariffs on countries around the globe.
Facing down the barrels was Amazon, which announced Tuesday morning that customers will now see a note next to the price of each product explaining how much the Trump tariffs are adding to the final total. In an early morning press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt branded the company a “traitor” for relying on Chinese suppliers.
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon. Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden admin hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” Leavitt responded to a question about the company’s new policy.
She accused the company of “partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm,” another reason “why Americans should buy American.”
And while Leavitt refrained from commenting on President Donald Trump’s longstanding relationship with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — who donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund — she doubled down on referring to a “hostile” new policy by his company.
WATCH:
Conservative influencers quickly found the source of Leavitt’s accusation about Amazon’s partnership with a Chinese propaganda arm of the country’s communist government.
In 2021, the company began acquiescing to demands by the country’s National Press and Publication Administration, or NPPA, to eliminate the ability to rate products related to President Xi Jinping out of fear that critics would use the rating system to voice their displeasure with his leadership. Other edicts required Amazon to sell books extolling the heroism of Chinese scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic and making light of human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs, according to Reuters.
Speaking at the press briefing, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted China stands to lose as many as 10 million jobs as a result of the president’s punishing 145% tariffs still in effect across the board. The tariffs “are unsustainable” for China in the long term, he explained.
“I’ve seen some very large numbers over the past few days that show if these numbers stay on, China could lose 10 million jobs very quickly, and even if there is a drop in the tariffs, they could lose five million jobs,” he added.
President Trump had very recently praised Bezos, another indication that Amazon’s new policy on tariff prices is coming as a shock. In an interview with The Atlantic, Trump said about Bezos, “He’s 100 percent. He’s been great.”
Administration officials are keeping a close eye on negotiations in the U.S. House to pass President Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax bill, legislation that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said will “solve a lot of problems” and provide a “turbo boost for the economy,” CNN reported. Bessent said Tuesday morning he is pleased that negotiations around determining funding for the bill are “going much better than I would’ve thought when I took office on January 28th.”
