“He’s just a very nice guy:” Trump Praises Bezos for Dropping Tariff Display on Amazon, Fueling Accusations of Tech Industry Capitulation

President Donald Trump confirmed that the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has reversed a plan to display tariff costs on the product lists after a personal phone call between the two – a decision that aroused strong criticism and renewed concerns concerning the growing alignment of the technology industry with the Trump administration.

The president made the revelation during a vast interview on Meet The Press of NBC, where he told the host Kristen Welker that Bezos had immediately agreed not to go ahead with the plan after speaking.

“He said,” Well, I don’t want to do this “, and he removed it immediately,” said Trump. “He’s just a very nice guy. We have a relationship.”

The overthrow, which followed a report by Punchbowl News that Amazon was preparing to start registering the costs of import prices next to the prices of the products, triggered a backlash of criticisms which consider it as a clear example of politics shaping the decisions of companies. Amazon denied the report at the time, saying that the idea had only been floated inside a single team and had not been approved.

However, Trump’s account, and the fact that Bezos would have given way without public resistance, made alarms in certain circles.

Many have accused the billionaire of protecting himself to the president and of putting pressure on pressure, some describing his turnover as “loose” and emblematic of what they consider as Trump’s tightening on the technology industry. The incident has renewed the assertions that many most powerful figures in Silicon Valley – formerly considered to be opponents in Trump – are now online.

The episode also examined the way in which the main technological CEOs, including Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg de Meta, sought to repair relations with Trump since his victory in re -election in November. The two men were previously in Trump’s political profession – Bezos, often the target of presidential tirades on his property of the Washington Post; Zuckerberg, criticized an alleged censorship on Facebook. But since Trump’s return to power, the two men have taken steps to reconcile. Several technological leaders who have once kept their distances, including Bezos and Zuckerberg, contributed millions of dollars to the president’s second inauguration, reporting a change of posture.

For Trump, the optics of the tariff debate is essential. Its administration imposed a reference rate of 10% on imports of most countries and a punishing rate of 145% on Chinese products – part of a wider effort which it claims to aim to revitalize American industry and to punish unfair commercial practices. However, the impact on consumers has been significant. Since the prices have entered into force, prices have increased on a wide range of goods sold on platforms like Amazon, including electronics, clothing and household items.

Amazon, in its latest report on the results, revealed a unique charge of $ 1 billion awarded to customer prices and feedback. Meanwhile, the Bloomberg billionaire index shows that Bezos’ net value has plunged over $ 30 billion since January – against 245 billion dollars at the start of Trump’s second term at $ 212 billion on May 5. This decrease reflects, in part, the company’s financial exhibition to Trump’s trade policies.

Despite this, the administration worked aggressively to hide the domestic impact of prices. The White House openly condemned the plan reported by Amazon to make prices more transparent for consumers, the press secretary Karoline Leavitt describes it as “a hostile and political act” during a briefing last week. By displaying additional charges, Amazon could have undermined Trump’s efforts to hide the inflationary consequences of its consumer trade policies.

Trump, however, remains without excuse. When asked if he would call other CEOs that make decisions with which he does not agree, the president said: “I will always call people if I do not agree with them.” When he pressure it to punish businesses for adopting consumers’ tariff costs, he replied: “I want them to build plants in the United States. In this way, they have no price. “

Thus, the message that the president sends is: Build at home or risk the presidential pressure.

On Truth Social, Trump was unleashed against business leaders who question his pricing strategy. In a recent Easter post, he wrote: “They do not understand or do not realize that I am the greatest friend that American capitalism has ever had!” It is a line intended to reassure its base and the confidence of the project, but for many in the business world and beyond – the most sustainable message can be the threat behind the smile.

With Bezos who is backing down, the observers say that the president has marked more than a political victory – he sent a message through American companies: resist your risk.