Donald Trump says the US will launch an investigation into the European Union and threatened a contemporary tariff over fines handed to a number of the greatest American tech firms.
It comes days after the European Fee fined Google €890m ($1bn) for working in a method that squeezed out rivals to its companies.
In a put up to Reality Social, which Trump owns, the US president mentioned the EU would pay a “very massive worth” over the way it had handled Google, together with different main US tech firms Apple, Meta, and Amazon, which have additionally been investigated.
“The US of America will not be a “PIGGYBANK” for Europe, nor will we permit it to be!” he wrote.
Trump mentioned any fines ought to be “completely reversed” and that he was initiating a commerce investigation of the EU whereas contemplating “a considerable TARIFF”.
He added that the US would “instantly provoke a 301 investigation” over European regulators’ alleged follow of “robbing American firms and, in flip, the American taxpayer”.
Part 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, external provides The Workplace of the USA Commerce Consultant the ability to react and examine commerce practices believed to be unfair. The second Trump Administration has launched several such investigations, external since final yr.
The tariff risk comes simply someday after Trump introduced new tariffs on 60 trading partners, together with the EU, UK and China, of between 10% and 12.5%.
José Castañeda, a spokesman for Google, instructed the BBC the corporate had “labored arduous to conform” with Europe’s Digital Markets Act however had “expressed our issues in regards to the influence of current EC choices”.
“We respect the engagement by the administration and US authorities,” Castañeda added.
Along with the current advantageous in opposition to Google, Trump claimed in his put up that Apple had acquired EU fines of $15bn, Meta fines of $3bn, and Amazon fines of $2.5bn.
Representatives of Meta, Apple and Amazon, in addition to the European Fee, have been contacted for remark.
Shortly earlier than Trump was elected president in 2024, he mentioned Tim Prepare dinner, Apple’s chief government, had called him directly to complain about fines the corporate had acquired from European regulators.
The decision got here not lengthy after Apple misplaced a long-running dispute over unpaid taxes.
