President Trump said Thursday morning that he has been stating concerns about Amazon not paying taxes and putting other retailers out of business long before he ever ran for president.
“I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election,” Trump posted to Twitter. “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!”
I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the Election. 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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2018
According to sources who spoke to Axios, Trump has said he wants to use antitrust laws to go after Amazon, and changing its tax treatment.
“[Trump’s] obsessed with Amazon,” a source said. “Obsessed.”
Trump believes Amazon is detrimental to shopping malls, brick-and-mortar storefronts, mom-and-pop shops, and “the whole post office thing.”
The Axios report also said Trump’s claim about the U.S. Postal Service losing money isn’t true.
“The whole post office thing, that’s very much a perception he has,” a source said. “It’s been explained to him in multiple meetings that his perception is inaccurate and that the post office actually makes a ton of money from Amazon.”
