A shallow do not do the spring. At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, certain signs seemed to announce a calming of the political climate for Amazon in the United States. The ace ! In recent weeks, several US officials have once again pointed to Jeff Bezos' business. Starting with the president, Donald Trump.
Trump briefed reporters on March 16 that the White House was in regular contact with Jeff Bezos as part of the management of the coronavirus epidemic. "We have received significant support from a large number of people who can help. And I think he is one of them ", said the president.
But since then the tone has risen again. On April 29, there was a serious skirmish, on the occasion of the publication of the annual report of the American trade representative on the risks of counterfeiting and piracy. Several foreign Amazon sites – those from Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and India – have been placed on the watch list.
"Persistent antipathy"
Amazon’s reaction has been scathing. This report is just one "Purely political act", denounced the company in a press release. She accused Mr. Trump "To use the US government" for "Conduct a personal vendetta against Amazon".
A few days earlier, on April 24, the American president had already tackled the company, during a press conference on the difficulties of the postal service. "The US Postal Service is a big joke, because they manage packages for Amazon and other Internet companies, and every time they lose money on it," he argued. The president even threatened not to make a federal loan to the US Postal Service unless he raised his prices.
This reasoning revives a long-held speech by President Trump, for whom Amazon benefits from postal services. Some observers respond that the Post does not technically sell at a loss and that it must manage a very competitive market.
"The mail out is just the latest example of the White House’s persistent antipathy towards Amazon. This represents a potential danger for the company ", decrypts William Kovacic, former US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and law professor at Georgetown University in Washington.
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