Capitol Hill wants Facebook’s blood, but President Trump isn’t interested. Instead, the tech behemoth Trump wants to go after is Amazon, according to five sources who’ve discussed it with him. “He’s obsessed with Amazon,” a source said. “Obsessed.”
What we’re hearing: Trump has talked about changing Amazon’s tax treatment because he’s worried about mom-and-pop retailers being put out of business.
A source who’s spoken to POTUS: “He’s wondered aloud if there may be any way to go after Amazon with antitrust or competition law.”
Trump’s deep-seated antipathy toward Amazon surfaces when discussing tax policy and antitrust cases. The president would love to clip CEO Jeff Bezos’ wings. But he doesn’t have a plan to make that happen.
Behind the president’s thinking: Trump’s wealthy friends tell him Amazon is destroying their businesses. His real estate buddies tell him — and he agrees — that Amazon is killing shopping malls and brick-and-mortar retailers.
Trump tells people Amazon has gotten a free ride from taxpayers and cushy treatment from the U.S. Postal Service.
“The whole post office thing, that’s very much a perception he has,” another 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.”
Axios’ Ina Fried notes: The Postal Service actually added delivery on Sunday in some cities because Amazon made it worthwhile.
Trump also pays close attention to the Amazon founder’s ownership of The Washington Post, which the president views as Bezos’ political weapon.
Trump never talks about Mark Zuckerberg or Facebook: He isn’t tuned in to the debate over how they handle people’s data, and thinks the Russia story is a hoax, sources say.
Axios’ Kim Hart points out: “Trump told Axios last year he doesn’t mind Facebook because it helps him reach his audience. He’s an old-school businessman who sees the world in terms of tangible assets: real estate, physical mail delivery, Main Street, grocery stores. It reminds me of the story Jim wrote a while back about Trump’s fixation with 1950s life. Amazon takes direct aim at some of the core components of mid-century business.”
One warning sign for Facebook: Vice President Mike Pence is concerned about Facebook and Google, according to a source with direct knowledge.
Though Pence isn’t yet pushing internally for any specific regulations, he argues these companies are dangerously powerful.
The source said the V.P. worries about their influence on media coverage, as well as their control of the advertising industry and users’ personal info.
When private discussions have turned to the idea of busting Facebook and Google, Pence has listened with keen interest and is open to the suggestion that these two companies need shaking up.
It’s about friggen time, Bezos is a scum bag. He’s killed millions of jobs, doesn’t pay tax and pretty much works without oversight, fk this guy… the SOB is worth 120 billion???? WTF…
“Behind the president’s thinking: Trump’s wealthy friends tell him Amazon is destroying their businesses. His real estate buddies tell him — and he agrees — that Amazon is killing shopping malls and brick-and-mortar retailers.”
All in the name of his “wealthy” friends. Follow the money.
If he was so afraid of mom-and-pop businesses being put out of business he wouldn’t worry too much about Amazon (since large towns and cities–that have most of the ‘mom and pop’ businesses) because most folks in large towns and cities buy from their local big box store (unless it has shut down of course)…the only folks who regularly shop from Amazon are rural remote folks who do not have big box stores nearby! Why drive three and half hours to El Paso or Midland-Odessa and have to fill up the gas tank there and back spending $100 for gas when you can buy stuff from Amazon and pay less money? (Now I do not like Amazon, okay? but for those of you who will judge us to be jackasses for buying from Amazon, the fact is there are NO other viable options here! Other than grocers and a few supply stores in Alpine, which is 50 miles away, there are NO other options for buying stuff! Dollar Stores are also closing down! This area isn’t some rural area that is 50 miles from a large city! This is FAR WEST TEXAS, ranching and desert country, and the nearest big box stores are over 100 miles away–Fort Stockton or Pecos–and the nearest shopping centers are 200 miles away in El Paso or Midland-Odessa!) Sorry for the rant, but I know there are some on here who might call us hypocrites over this.
Anyway, Trump would be more worried about taxing and regulating and licensing and other BS bureaucratic nonsense on mom-and-pop stores than he ought to be about Amazon!
And yes, Mark, Bezos is a scumbag! Unfortunately, there is a downside to living in the rural remote–having to buy stuff from Amazon because you can’t buy it locally.
Rual folks are the head of the pin, I’m talking about lazy assed toilet bugs that are too lazy to get off their fat asses , and drive 1 mile down the road. There are millions of them, believe me.
Because of the idiocy of these folk, millions of jobs and hundreds of great malls have been closed.
All because of no oversight, and a scum bag Jew named Bezos. His employees are worked like dogs, basically slaves for shit pay.
I’ve used Amazon, because I have no other options, I live in a damn semi, all over the country. I have everything shipped to my P.O box
I can’t just park anywhere..
AMAZON another tool killing America and American values.
It’s about friggen time, Bezos is a scum bag. He’s killed millions of jobs, doesn’t pay tax and pretty much works without oversight, fk this guy… the SOB is worth 120 billion???? WTF…
“Behind the president’s thinking: Trump’s wealthy friends tell him Amazon is destroying their businesses. His real estate buddies tell him — and he agrees — that Amazon is killing shopping malls and brick-and-mortar retailers.”
All in the name of his “wealthy” friends. Follow the money.
Exactly, Katie, exactly! You hit the nail on the head!
If he was so afraid of mom-and-pop businesses being put out of business he wouldn’t worry too much about Amazon (since large towns and cities–that have most of the ‘mom and pop’ businesses) because most folks in large towns and cities buy from their local big box store (unless it has shut down of course)…the only folks who regularly shop from Amazon are rural remote folks who do not have big box stores nearby! Why drive three and half hours to El Paso or Midland-Odessa and have to fill up the gas tank there and back spending $100 for gas when you can buy stuff from Amazon and pay less money? (Now I do not like Amazon, okay? but for those of you who will judge us to be jackasses for buying from Amazon, the fact is there are NO other viable options here! Other than grocers and a few supply stores in Alpine, which is 50 miles away, there are NO other options for buying stuff! Dollar Stores are also closing down! This area isn’t some rural area that is 50 miles from a large city! This is FAR WEST TEXAS, ranching and desert country, and the nearest big box stores are over 100 miles away–Fort Stockton or Pecos–and the nearest shopping centers are 200 miles away in El Paso or Midland-Odessa!) Sorry for the rant, but I know there are some on here who might call us hypocrites over this.
Anyway, Trump would be more worried about taxing and regulating and licensing and other BS bureaucratic nonsense on mom-and-pop stores than he ought to be about Amazon!
And yes, Mark, Bezos is a scumbag! Unfortunately, there is a downside to living in the rural remote–having to buy stuff from Amazon because you can’t buy it locally.
Yeah, I get it DL,
Rual folks are the head of the pin, I’m talking about lazy assed toilet bugs that are too lazy to get off their fat asses , and drive 1 mile down the road. There are millions of them, believe me.
Because of the idiocy of these folk, millions of jobs and hundreds of great malls have been closed.
All because of no oversight, and a scum bag Jew named Bezos. His employees are worked like dogs, basically slaves for shit pay.
I’ve used Amazon, because I have no other options, I live in a damn semi, all over the country. I have everything shipped to my P.O box
I can’t just park anywhere..
AMAZON another tool killing America and American values.