Jeff Bezos blasts Joe Biden on inflation, White House fires back

Jeff Bezos has been accusing U.S. President Joe Biden of misleading the public on inflation by arguing that hiking taxes on corporations and the rich would lower consumer costs.

The White House and Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos squared off on Monday over the Biden administration’s handling of U.S. inflation and its plans to tax the rich.

Starting over the weekend, Bezos has been slamming President Joe Biden, accusing him of misleading the public on inflation by arguing that hiking taxes on corporations and the rich would lower consumer costs.

The administration responded with an unusually personal jab that suggested Bezos was trying to protect his wealth and undermine unions.

“It doesn’t require a huge leap to figure out why one of the wealthiest individuals on Earth opposes an economic agenda for the middle class that cuts some of the biggest costs families face, fights inflation for the long haul, and adds to the historic deficit reduction the president is achieving by asking the richest taxpayers and corporations to pay their fair share,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.

“It’s also unsurprising that this tweet comes after the President met with labour organizers, including Amazon employees.”

Bezos responded that the administration was trying to distract from stimulus policies that stoked inflation.

“They understandably want to muddy the topic,” he said on Twitter. “They know inflation hurts the neediest the most. But unions aren’t causing inflation and neither are wealthy people.”