A bookselling website owned by Amazon announced it would be going out of business on Twitter Tuesday at the worst possible time—the name of it harkening back to an infamous assassination just as former President Donald Trump was surrendering to authorities in New York City.
The Book Depository, a popular U.K. bookseller, announced on Twitter that the company would be closing up shop at the end of the month.
“We are sorry to let you know that Book Depository will be closing on 26 April 2023. You can still place orders until midday (12pm BST) on 26 April and we will continue to deliver your purchases and provide support for any order issues until 23 June 2023,” Book Depository wrote.
The news of it apparently upset enough people that the phrase “Book Depository” trended on Twitter.
However, the website’s name is eerily similar to that of the Texas Book Depository, the building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.
Given the trend came at a time when tensions were high, some Twitter users connected the dots to Trump’s arraignment.
“C’mon everyone I’m getting old, I can’t stand this sometimes. I just spotted that ‘Book Depository’ is trending on twitter a 4 hours before Trump walks into the Manhattan court,” one user wrote.
“I genuinely thought ‘Book Depository’ was trending because someone expects #Trump to be assassinated,” another wrote.
Trump arrived at a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday afternoon to be indicted on charges relating to alleged hush money payments he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. The indictments remain under seal, but CNN reports he could face more than 30 counts related to business fraud.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to hold a press conference following the indictment to release the charges.
Book Depository was purchased by Amazon in 2011, leading Twitter users to also lament the e-commerce giant’s effect on the book industry. According to the Guardian, the move is part of wider cutshttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/apr/04/amazon-to-close-book-depository-online-shop Amazon has been making this year to its business.
