Trump confronts Bezos over potential Amazon tariffs price display

President Donald Trump personally called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday after reports surfaced that the company was considering displaying U.S. tariff costs alongside product prices on its website, according to senior White House officials.

The proposed change, first reported by Punchbowl News, would have shown how much of a product's total price was attributed to tariffs — a move that could highlight the cost impact of Trump’s trade policies, including a 145% tariff on Chinese imports and a 10% baseline on all other countries.

Trump later described the phone call as “a good call,” telling reporters, “Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the proposal a “hostile and political act,” adding that she discussed the matter directly with the president.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also criticized the idea, saying it was misleading to suggest tariffs significantly affect pricing. “A 10% tariff is not going to change virtually any price,” he told reporters.

An Amazon spokesperson denied that the company ever planned to implement the change on its main platform.

Instead, the idea had been discussed internally for Haul, a spinoff site that sells products under $20. “This was never approved and not going to happen,” the spokesperson said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed support for the idea, encouraging companies to show consumers how tariffs influence retail prices.

“People deserve to know the impact tariffs have on their finances,” he said on the Senate floor.

The incident comes amid renewed scrutiny of U.S. trade policy and corporate transparency.

Trump has previously praised Bezos and Amazon, but today’s call signals rising tensions as tariff-related costs continue to ripple through the economy.