Is Tump's administration pressuring Amazon to remove books from its Kindle marketplace?

A recent post on the social media platform Reddit has sparked concern about potential government pressure on large corporations. An anonymous user, claiming to work for a major cloud services provider that also operates a massive online bookstore, shared an unsettling story. According to the user, known as “Bojack_Horsegirl,” their company received a demand tied to a significant government contract renewal.

The user posted a screenshot of an email, allegedly received by their boss. This email outlines a stark choice: remove a specific list of books critical of Donald Trump and associated figures from the company’s online marketplace, or risk losing a major government cloud services contract. The email lists several titles, including Mary L. Trump’s “Too Much and Never Enough,” Brian Stelter’s “Hoax,” Heather Cox Richardson’s “Democracy Awakening,” and David Pakman’s “The Echo Machine,” among others. Satirical works also appear on the list.

Here’s the entire email contents in text form (thanks u/-SQB-):

[Bo]ok Removal Request

[redacted] to me

Please be advised:

We were recently contacted by regarding renewal of their contract.

[redacted] maintains that they will not move forward with contract renewal unless the following books are removed [out of frame]
below).

[redacted] informed [redacted] that we have no input on that side. (I don’t even know who we would contact about this. I [out of frame]
)

The books requested for removal:

Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth
Stelter
ISBN-10 1982142456
ISBN-13 978-1982142452

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America
Heather Cox Richardson
ISBN-10: 0593652967
ISBN-13: 978-0593652961

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man
Mary L. Trump
ISBN-10: 1982141476
ISBN-13: 978-1982141479

Shameless: Republicans Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy
Brian Tyler Cohen
ISBN-10 0063392887
ISBN-13 978-0063392885

Forbidden Loveseat: A JD Vance & Usha Novel
J.D. Boehninger
ASIN: B001CHTX11

How the People Trumped Ronald Plump
Brian Krassenstein, Ed Krassenstein, Benny Rahdiana
ISBN-10 1643070762
ISBN-13 978-1643070766

Melania: Devourer of Men
J.D. Boehninger
ASIN: 807HN9XC1H

The Echo Machine: How Right-wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America
David Pakman
ISBN-10: 0807016535
ISBN-13: 978-0807016534

The OP expressed shock, stating, “This is NUTS!! We have NOTHING to do with the book side of the business, and even if we did, this is CENSORSHIP!!!” They added that their boss was extremely stressed by the situation. The post quickly gained traction, with many commenters expressing outrage and offering advice.

The situation described, if true, raises serious questions about censorship and the potential misuse of government contracts to influence private companies and suppress critical viewpoints. While the company involved isn’t explicitly named, the description strongly suggests Amazon and its divisions, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Kindle marketplace.

Online reactions were swift. User “jcargile242” commented, “Go to the press, and give the administration the middle finger.” Others pointed out the potential for the Streisand Effect, where attempts to censor information only make it more widely known. User “shorterround” remarked, “It’s like they’ve never heard of the Streisand Effect. I’m adding all of these to my cart right now”. Several users urged the original poster to leak the information to established news outlets. Author David Pakman, whose book was listed, even commented asking for help verifying the email’s authenticity.

It is important to note that these claims originate from an anonymous online source and a partial email screenshot. As of now, the allegations have not been independently verified by major news organizations. Nevertheless, government overreach isn’t new so it won’t be surprising if this is indeed accurate.

Feel free to share your thoughts on it in the comments below!