Trump reportedly pressured the head of the Postal Service to double Amazon's rates

Amazon boxes.
(Image credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images)

President Trump has demanded that the U.S. Postal Service charge Amazon twice as much to ship packages, even personally pressuring the postmaster general on multiple occasions, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Megan Brennan, the postmaster general, has had several meetings with Trump, sources said, and pushed back on his demand by explaining that the Amazon-Post Office relationship is complex and that the USPS can't just back out of a contract. Trump has claimed that Amazon is costing the USPS billions of dollars, insisting that taxpayers are paying the price in an unfair deal.

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Trump alleges that the federal government is unfairly subsidizing Amazon's business costs, claiming the deal has forced small businesses to close. Last month, the president ordered a task force to review the Postal Service's business practices to rectify its "unsustainable financial path." Read more at The Washington Post.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.