President Donald Trump has developed a deep animus towards Amazon and its billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, Axios’ Jonathan Swan reports.
Trump reportedly has floated the idea of taxing Amazon at a higher level in order make up for their effect on small business retailers at the local level. “He’s wondered aloud if there may be any way to go after Amazon with antitrust or competition law,” a source told Swan. The President also reportedly believes the U.S. post office is being fleeced by the company, a sentiment he has voiced in the past.
Why is the United States Post Office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer? Should be charging MUCH MORE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2017
The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey noted that the President also recently griped about Bezos and Amazon in a recent dinner with Geraldo Rivera and his sons in Florida.
He complained about Bezos and Amazon at a recent Mar-a-Lago dinner with Geraldo Rivera and his sons. Apparently it wasn’t a one-off! https://t.co/adpDjQfPwm
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 28, 2018
Trump himself has taken several swipes at Amazon on Twitter during the 2016 campaign and in office. He is particularly incensed at Bezos’ ownership of The Washington Post, which he believes is a vehicle out to discredit him.
Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt – many jobs being lost!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017
So many stories about me in the @washingtonpost are Fake News. They are as bad as ratings challenged @CNN. Lobbyist for Amazon and taxes?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017