President Trump Incorrectly Attacks Amazon on Taxes

President Donald Trump took to social media earlier this week to attack Amazon.com, claiming incorrectly that it owns the Washington Post in a scheme to dodge “internet taxes.” Amazon doesn’t own the newspaper; its CEO, Jeff Bezos, bought it himself. Furthermore, while there isn’t a federal “internet tax,” as Trump contends, Amazon has started to collect sales taxes in every state that collects them (all but five states).

Total Retail's Take: Trump and Bezos have been at odds for some time, both vocal critics of the other, and this appears to be the latest salvo in the back-and-forth battle between the two. What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the two men met, along with other top technology executives, last week to discuss ways the White House can modernize government and aid the tech industry. Throw into the mix that Amazon is about to embark on a FTC review of its bid to acquire Whole Foods Market, and you have quite the interesting drama unfolding.