Amazon Stock Tumbles As White House Calls Tariff Visibility Plans A 'Hostile' Act

Amazon.com Inc AMZN shares turned lower in early trading Tuesday after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the e-commerce giant’s move to show tariffs on products is a “hostile” act.

What Happened: A Punchbowl News report surfaced Tuesday morning indicating that Amazon plans to add figures next to individual product listings on its e-commerce platform to show consumers how much more they are paying due to Trump administration tariffs.

In a press briefing Tuesday morning, the White House press secretary slammed Amazon for the reported move.

“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt said.

“Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”

Leavitt told reporters that the move is “not a surprise” and proceeded to hold up a copy of a Reuters report suggesting that Amazon previously partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm. Leavitt also noted that she had just spoken with President Donald Trump before she commented on the matter.

“This is another reason why Americans should buy American. It’s another reason why we are onshoring critical supply chains here at home to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing,” Leavitt said.

Amazon shares immediately sold off following the press secretary’s comments.

The e-commerce giant is due to report earnings for the first quarter after the market close on Thursday. Analysts expect the company to report earnings of $1.36 per share and revenue of $154.92 billion, according to Benzinga Pro estimates.

AMZN Price Action: Amazon shares were down 1.93% at $184.08 at the time of publication Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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