In a stark post on Truth Social, the former president announced that the United States would launch a trade investigation of the European Union and could impose a substantial tariff following the EU’s recent heavy fines on U.S. technology giants.
The EU fined Google €890 million (about $1 billion) for allegedly favoring its own apps over competitors. Trump also cited penalties of $15 billion for Apple, $3 billion for Meta and $2.5 billion for Amazon, demanding that the fines be “entirely reversed.”
“The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be!” – Trump warned, adding that the U.S. would “immediately initiate a 301 investigation” over what it called “robbing American companies.” The 301 section of the Trade Act of 1974 gives the Office of the United States Trade Representative the authority to probe alleged unfair trade practices.
The tariff threat follows a Trump‑endorsed U.S. policy that imposed 10‑12.5% tariffs on 60 trading partners, including the EU, UK and China. The announcement came a day after the European Commission’s fine on Google.
Google’s spokesperson, José Castañeda, said the firm had “worked hard to comply” with the Digital Markets Act but expressed concerns about recent EC decisions. The companies and the European Commission have yet to provide formal comments on Trump’s accusations.
