Donald Trump says the US will launch an investigation into the European Union and threatened a recent tariff over fines handed to among the largest American tech corporations.
It comes days after the European Fee fined Google €890m ($1bn) for working in a manner that squeezed out opponents to its providers.
In a publish to Fact Social, which Trump owns, the US president stated the EU would pay a “very huge worth” over the way it had handled Google, together with different main US tech corporations Apple, Meta, and Amazon, which have additionally been investigated.
“America of America isn’t a “PIGGYBANK” for Europe, nor will we enable it to be!” he wrote.
Trump stated any fines must be “fully 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 observe of “robbing American corporations and, in flip, the American taxpayer”.
Part 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, external provides The Workplace of america 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 12 months.
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 considerations in regards to the impression of latest EC selections”.
“We respect the engagement by the administration and US authorities,” Castañeda added.
Along with the latest effective in opposition to Google, Trump claimed in his publish 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 stated Tim Cook 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.
