Shares of Amazon were down slightly Wednesday morning after President Trump took aim at the Seattle tech giant again on Twitter.
Trump said “Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers” in a tweet early Wednesday, criticizing the company for taking away U.S. jobs.
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
Amazon stock was down 0.5 percent, or about $5 per share, in morning trading. We’ve reached out to the company for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
It’s the latest attack on Amazon by Trump. In July, he called out The Washington Post — Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos purchased the newspaper in 2013 for $250 million — and did the same in June.
Is Fake News Washington Post being used as a lobbyist weapon against Congress to keep Politicians from looking into Amazon no-tax monopoly?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
The #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2017
CNN’s Brian Stelter noted the timing of a new The Washington Post editorial, while Reuters reported that a Post journalist appeared on CNN to talk about criticism of Trump’s comments following the recent tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"Mr. Trump gives comfort to racists" is the headline on the top editorial in today's @WashingtonPost, owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos https://t.co/onjNmW6LwW
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 16, 2017
Amazon collects sales tax on purchases in every state where it’s required, and the company supports national legislation that would require remote sellers to collect sales tax regardless of location.
Amazon said in January that it planned to add another 100,000 full-time jobs in the U.S. by mid-2018. The growth would push Amazon’s U.S. workforce to more than 280,000 people. Last month, it announced that it plans to hire another 50,000 fulfillment employees.
