Trump says he'll personally call CEOs who make 'wrong or hurtful' business choices

Trump revealed during an interview with Meet the Press that he recently phoned Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos after reports surfaced that the company planned to start listing tariff-related fees on some products.

The move followed Trump's newly announced 145% tariffs on Chinese imports.

"He's just a very nice guy," Trump said of Bezos. "We have a relationship. I asked him about [the tariff charge language Amazon considered including in listings]. He said, 'Well, I don't want to do that,' and he took it off immediately."

While the two clashed during Trump's first term, their relationship appears to have softened. Amazon donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund in December, and Bezos attended the ceremony.

Despite stepping down as CEO in 2021, Bezos remains Amazon's executive chairman. Following the Punchbowl News report, Amazon clarified, "This was never approved and is not going to happen."

Asked whether he would use the same tactic with CEOs of other major retailers, Trump told moderator Kristen Welker: "Sure. I'll always call people if I disagree with them."

"If I think that somebody's doing something that's incorrect, wrong, or maybe hurtful to the country, I'll call," he added. "Wouldn't you want me to call? [Former President Joe] Biden wouldn't call because he didn't know what was happening, but I do."

Tariffs framed as incentives, not burdens

Defending his aggressive tariff strategy, Trump insisted it was designed to bring manufacturing back to the US rather than burden consumers.

"I don't view it as a tax. I view it as an incentive for people to come into the United States and build plants, factories, offices — a lot of things," he said.

"What people don't understand is... the country eats the tariff. The company eats the tariff. And it's not passed along at all."

He downplayed concerns about rising prices or product shortages. "I don't think that a beautiful baby girl — that's 11 years old — needs to have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls," he said, suggesting the US should stop "wasting money on junk we don't need."

While major companies like Temu, PepsiCo, and Procter & Gamble are already warning about the financial impact of tariffs, Trump maintains they are a long-term strategy to protect American industry — even if they create short-term disruption.

Trump's renewed focus on tariffs comes amid growing tension with China. As previously reported, many Chinese Amazon sellers are considering raising prices or pulling out of the US market entirely in response to the latest tariff hike.

"This isn't just a tax issue — the entire cost structure gets overwhelmed," said Wang Xin, head of the Shenzhen Cross-Border E-Commerce Association.

According to her, for many businesses, "it'll be very hard... to survive in the US market."

Beijing is already signaling a counterpunch, with potential 84% tariffs on American goods. Global markets are watching closely as the economic standoff between the two superpowers intensifies.