Trump attacks Amazon for 'doing great damage' to retailers

President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning attacked Amazon, claiming the company is hurting other retailers and causing them to shed jobs.

Amazon has been a regular target of Trump because CEO Jeff Bezos has been a vocal critic of the president. The Washington Post, which Bezos owns directly, has written numerous critical pieces about Trump. The president has often tried to tie Amazon to the Washington Post, giving the newspaper the nickname "AmazonWashingtonPost."

Trump has also previously mentioned Amazon's tax payments, accusing the company of not paying its fair share to get an advantage over other retailers. Amazon in April started collecting sales tax in every state that has one.

An Amazon spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The latest tweet against Amazon comes at a delicate time for the company. Amazon is working toward closing its biggest acquisition ever, a $13.7 billion deal for grocery chain Whole Foods. Additional government scrutiny could slow down the approval process. Few market observers, though, expect the government to block the deal. 

Trump's comments echo concerns in the retail industry that Amazon has been the direct cause of retailers' woes this year as many have gone into bankruptcy protection or closed more stores.

Amazon has been working to counter the impression that it's harming other businesses by promoting its work with smaller retailers -- work that Trump's own Small Business Administration recently praised. It's also trumpeted the thousands of new jobs it created this year as it keeps growing.

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