Trump slams Amazon: What’s behind the feud?
President Trump lashed out at Amazon on Twitter a day after an Axios report said he planned to ‘go after’ the retail giant. Here’s a look back at Trump’s beef with Amazon.
President Donald Trump has gone after Amazon again, tweeting it is "causing tremendous loss to the U.S." after a Wednesday media report suggested the President was "obsessed" with the Jeff Bezos-led company.
"I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election," Trump wrote on Twitter, one of his favored methods of expressing policy and opinion. "Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state & local governments, use our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the U.S.), and are putting many thousands of retailers out of business!"
The tweet comes after a report from Axios's Jonathan Swan that Trump has talked about changing Amazon's tax treatment.
AMAZON MIGHT BUY TARGET, BUT COULD TRUMP STAND IN THE WAY?
Citing a source who had spoken to Trump, Swan wrote that Trump has "wondered aloud" if there could be a way "to go after Amazon with antitrust or competition law." The report adds that Trump does not yet have a plan to make that happen.
Following the Axios report, Amazon shares fell sharply on Wednesday, closing at $1,431.42, down more than 4 percent.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded to the report, telling Reuters: “The president has said many times before he’s always looking to create a level playing field for all businesses and this is no different. He’s always going to look at different ways, but there aren’t any specific policies on the table at this time.”
After an op-ed from director of policy at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Ross Marchand criticizing the deal the U.S. Postal Service has with Amazon, David Partenheimer, the USPS's public relations manager called the op-ed "a misinformed and misleading rant," according to Linn's.
In 2013, the USPS signed a deal with Amazon that allowed it to ship its packages to customers on Sunday.
AMAZON'S LACK OF INCOME TAX PAID HAS BECOME AN 'UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION'
Continued attacks
Thursday's tweet from Trump continues his attack on Amazon, which Axios said is due to Amazon's deal with the U.S. Postal Service, as well as Jeff Bezos' ownership of The Washington Post, which Axios said Trump "views as Bezos’ political weapon."
In June 2017, Trump accused Amazon of not paying "Internet taxes" and called the #AmazonWashingtonPost "Fake News."
It is not clear what "internet taxes" the President was referring to at the time, but the company does collect sales tax (where applicable) on items it sells on its platform.
Two months later, Trump continued the attack, tweeting, "Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers. Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt - many jobs being lost!"
TRUMP ATTACK SAMAZON ON TWITTER AGAIN, SAYS IT'S 'DOING GREAT DAMAGE' TO RETAILERS
According to an April 2017 report from Bloomberg, which cited investment bank Credit Suisse, the number of retail stores estimated to close in 2017 was on pace to reach nearly 8,000. In 2016, that number was around 2,000 stores.
Fox Business has compiled a list of the other brick-and-mortar retailers who have announced store closings in recent months.
Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia
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