A refund from Amazon has come with an unexpected name attached: Donald Trump. Millions of customers receiving refunds tied to a major consumer settlement are finding the president mentioned in their settlement notices, ahead of midterms.
Donald Trump gets credits on Amazon refunds before midterms
The checks stem from Amazon’s $2.5 billion settlement in 2025 over allegations that the company misled customers into enrolling in Prime and made it difficult to cancel recurring subscriptions. According to POLITICO, the accompanying notice identifies the agreement as a result of “President Trump’s Federal Trade Commission” three times. Amazon did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
The payments began going out last November, and another batch followed a federal judge’s order expanding eligibility. Customers can receive as much as $200. A court filing showed that at least 24.9 million checks had been issued by September, although only 7 million had been cashed.
Former Federal Trade Commission officials told POLITICO that naming a president on consumer refunds breaks with past practice. Stephen Calkins, a Wayne State University law professor and former FTC general counsel, said he knew of no earlier instance in which a refund notice identified the president. He called the decision “unseemly and unfortunate” and said the agency was being used to promote Donald Trump.
Bill Kovacic, who led the FTC during George W. Bush’s administration, said the branding might not change how voters view the midterms, but it could weaken the agency’s credibility in future enforcement actions. “It diminishes the aura of professionalism that is useful to the agency when it performs traditional law enforcement functions,” he explained.
The FTC defended the language, telling that Trump leads the executive branch and that his commission handled the settlement. The agency has increasingly used the label “Trump-Vance FTC” in public statements, following a Supreme Court decision that expanded presidential authority over independent agencies.
The case itself began before Trump returned to office: the Biden administration filed its lawsuit against Amazon in 2023.
