Trump threatens EU with tariffs over Google fine
President Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with retaliatory tariffs following a 890 million euro antitrust fine imposed on Google. Trump labeled the EU's actions as unethical and vowed to initiate a formal trade investigation.
Why it matters
This conflict signals a potential escalation in transatlantic trade tensions and highlights the ongoing friction between US tech giants and EU regulatory bodies.
US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to hit the European Union with tariffs and a formal trade investigation over Brussels’ latest antitrust penalty against Google. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the bloc “will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about.” He said he would “immediately initiate a 301 Investigation” into what he called the EU’s practice of “ROBBING” American companies, and said he anticipated a “substantial TARIFF” on the bloc “at the earliest possible moment.” “The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be,” he wrote. Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act allows Washington to probe foreign practices it deems discriminatory and retaliate with tariffs.
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