President Donald Trump said he called Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, who immediately agreed not to display tariff costs next to product prices after they spoke.
In an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, which aired Sunday, host Kristen Welker asked the president about his call with Bezos.
This was shortly after media outlet Punchbowl News said in a Tuesday report that Amazon would soon start displaying tariff charges beside the product’s price, a claim Amazon denied.
“He’s just a very nice guy, we have a relationship. I asked him about it,” Trump told Welker. “He said, ‘Well, I don’t want to do that,’ and he took it off immediately.”
Amazon and a representative for Bezos didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from BI about Trump’s call with Bezos. In a statement last week, Amazon said one of its teams considered listing import charges on certain products, but that idea hadn’t been approved and wasn’t going to happen.
Welker asked if Trump would “take that same tactic with other CEOs.”
“I’ll always call people if I disagree with them,” Trump replied.
Welker also asked Trump if he was punishing CEOs who passed tariff costs to consumers.
He said, “I want them to build plants in the United States. That way, they don’t have any tariffs.”
The White House slammed the retailer on Tuesday over the reported plan to display tariff charges. In a press conference, the White House’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, called it a “hostile and political act.”
In the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, some of the richest people in the US have taken massive hits to their net worths.
Bezos’s net worth has plunged by over $30 billion since January. On January 20, it was $245 billion, but as of May 5, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, it had dropped to $212 billion.
This comes as the e-commerce giant is reeling from the impact of the tariffs.
Trump imposed a baseline 10% tariff on imports from all countries except China. His tariff rate for China now stands at 145%.
On Thursday, Amazon reported that it had taken a $1 billion hit in one-time charges in its latest quarter, linked to tariffs and customer returns.
Since Trump’s tariffs have gone into effect, there have also been price hikes on some of its most popular items, including home appliances, snacks, and clothing.
Despite criticism of his tariff policies, Trump has held fast. In a Truth Social post on Easter, the president said businesspeople who have criticized his tariffs are bad at both business and politics.
“THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND OR REALIZE THAT I AM THE GREATEST FRIEND THAT AMERICAN CAPITALISM HAS EVER HAD!” Trump wrote.
Representatives for Trump did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
