Trump’s threats have so far been idle. The federal government hasn’t launched any antitrust prosecution against Amazon.
The president’s agitation for the U.S. Postal Service to charge more for package delivery -– based on his belief Amazon has a sweetheart deal costing the government money -– led only to a Treasury Department report proposing the post office increase rates. The report didn’t provide explicit instructions on how much more the Postal Service –- which maintains it doesn’t lose money on Amazon deliveries –- should charge.
In the meantime, Amazon is expanding its own delivery infrastructure, reducing its reliance on any provider.
If anything, Amazon may be benefiting from Trump’s administration. The company is pitching its facial recognition software as a tool for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, positioning itself to reap profits from the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The Trump Department of Defense’s decision to give a $10 billion cloud computing to a single contractor is widely believed to advantage Amazon Web Services when the award is made later this year. Bezos’s competitors – including Oracle Corp – have bitterly protested the Pentagon’s approach as unfair.
The Washington Post’s investigations of Trump and his administration have captured wide attention for Bezos’s newspaper. Though the closely held company doesn’t disclose financial results, publisher Fred Ryan said in early 2018 the paper had turned a profit for a second straight year.
In recent weeks, Trump has seized on more personal criticism of the Amazon founder. During the government shutdown in early January, Trump seemed to revel in news that Bezos was divorcing his wife, MacKenzie, after 25 years of marriage.
“It’s going to be a beauty,” Trump –- himself familiar with messy divorce settlements -- said of the news.
One consolation for Bezos: Even if his wife is awarded half of their assets –- a possibility under Washington state law, which provides for property acquired during marriage to be equally divided in a divorce -- the Amazon chief will still be almost as rich as he was the day Trump was elected.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.