US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to launch a tariff investigation against the European Union in response to anti-competition fines and other penalties imposed against US tech giants such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta.
In particular, he cited the latest fine of €890 million (about $1 billion) issued against Google on Thursday for giving unfair priority to its own search engine and its Play app.
Trump’s threats come just hours after his administration imposed its latest tariffs on the EU and several other countries for not doing enough to stop imports made using forced labor from their supply chains.
US trading partners and allies such as the EU, Japan and Australia have responded to the new tariffs with a mix of outrage and disappointment.
What did Trump say online?
Trump issued the warning in an offensive post on his Truth Social online platform.
He wrote, “The EU is at it again and, as always, taking direct aim at great American companies!”
He then listed a series of fines – or the cumulative sum of estimated fines – against various tech companies, which he falsely alleged were issued “without reason” and “without explanation”.
He mentioned the latest fine imposed on Google and claimed that it brings their total fine to “over $18 billion”! Without citing any time limit or any kind of evidence.
EU courts recently upheld a record fine of more than $4 billion for Google — a process that had been under review for nearly eight years — in one of several such cases in recent years.
Trump wrote, “The United States is not a ‘piggybank’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to become! Please let this truth shine through as we will immediately launch a 301 investigation into the practice of ‘robbing’ American companies and, in turn, American taxpayers.”
What is a 301 check?
The 301 investigations are the new tool Trump is relying on to impose tariffs, after the Supreme Court declared he overstepped his authority by imposing a near-global levy on a day he calls “Liberation Day” in 2025.
The so-called investigation depends on the US internally demonstrating what it considers unfair trade practices against it in order to issue retaliatory sanctions and refers to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Dozens of such investigations are in the pipeline.
“The EU will pay a very high price for this illegal and deeply unethical conduct, about which I have repeatedly warned,” Trump wrote. “The fine will be paid in full and, we anticipate, substantial tariffs will be imposed on them in due course. Stay tuned!”
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer criticized the decision earlier on Thursday, saying the EU’s enforcement action undermined “constructive dialogue” and posed a “real risk” to transatlantic trade stability.
The EU and the US are sparring over the terms of their fragile trade deal struck last year amid Trump’s Liberation Day tariff frenzy. The slow ratification process in the EU’s more than 27 member states and the institutions in Brussels has frustrated the Trump White House.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico
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