The administration has repeatedly assured Americans that tariffs are a key element in bringing about a golden age. So why not welcome displays of tariff costs?
Sometimes the Trump administration is its own worst enemy.
The White House slammed Amazon for reportedly planning to display the cost of President Donald Trump’s tariffs next to the total price of products on its site.
“This is hostile and political act by Amazon,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
What an extraordinary thing to say. The ghost of President McKinley, a man who took true pride in his tariffs, and a president whom Donald Trump admires, must be appalled.
The administration has repeatedly assured Americans that its tariffs are a key element in bringing about the country’s coming golden age. If Amazon were to do this (it seems that they are not) it would highlight the sacrifices made by American consumers chipping in to pay the tariffs that are going to bring this country so much prosperity. They deserve the recognition.
Alternatively, such labeling could be seen as providing a warning label encouraging American customers to buy American goods. What could be more patriotic than that? Americans will doubtless get the message and reject those suddenly expensive children’s shoes, strollers, and the like. And when American-made substitutes are not currently available at a good price, American companies will surely take advantage of the opportunity this represents by filling the gap, and do so before American shelves start to empty.
But more than tariff costs could be shown. It’s only proper that state sales taxes are shown on receipts, as that’s a helpful reminder of the way in which lucky shoppers are “contributing” (that’s the phrase) to their state’s prosperity. But why stop there? A sales-tax-labeling model could also operate in other areas, such as utility bills. These should include details showing each customer how much the switch to renewables is adding to their costs, a bargain, of course, when the planet is boiling, on fire, or whatever (pick your preferred apocalypse).
As for Amazon, it’s not altogether surprising that it might have highlighted the effect of tariffs on what’s sold on the site. The high tariffs on Chinese imports could hit the company hard considering that, as Axios reports, some 60 percent of the company’s sales (that was in 2023: I’m not clear whether this was by volume or value, at a guess the former) come from smaller, independent retailers often heavily reliant on imports.
It seems, however, that Amazon has balked at tariff disclosure.
An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC later Tuesday morning that the company was only ever considering listing tariff charges on some products for Amazon Haul, its budget-focused shopping section.
For shame.
Let the tariff flag fly high, large, and proud. Other companies should do what Amazon was not prepared to do.