The War of words between Jeff Bezos and the Biden administration picked up steam on Monday, as the Amazon founder accused the White House of trying to muddy the topic of inflation's relationship with higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
The president said last Friday that making sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share would bring down inflation. Biden didn't call out Bezos in the statement, but the Amazon founder responded that the newly created Disinformation Board should review this tweet. Bezos tweeted on Friday that corp taxes can be raised. Mushing them together is just misdirection. After saying that, Bezos said that the administration tried to inject more stimulus into an already over-heated, inflationary economy, and only Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va, saved them by holding up Biden's Build Back Better plan in the Senate.
The White House hit back on Sunday evening, with deputy press secretary Andrew Bates telling the Washington Post that it doesn't require a huge leap to figure out why one of the wealthiest people on Earth opposes higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press conference on Monday that it is not a mystery why Bezos opposes what she calls an economic agenda that is for the middle class, which cuts some of the biggest costs families face. Bezos responded to Bates' statement by saying that the White House wants to muddy the topic and inflation would be even higher than today if Biden's Build Back Better plan is passed.
In April, inflation rose 8.3%, slightly below the 8.5% jump in March, but still close to the 40 year-high.
Biden met with the organizer behind Amazon's first successful unionization push at a Staten Island warehouse last month, Christian Smalls, who wore a jacket emblazoned with the message Eat the rich.