Donald Trump has threatened to launch a trade investigation against the European Union and impose fresh tariffs over what he called the “robbing” of American companies, days after the European Commission fined Google €890m ($1bn) for anti-competitive practices.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said the EU would pay a “very big price” for how it has treated Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon, and demanded that fines be “entirely reversed”. He said he was initiating a “301 investigation” under the Trade Act of 1974, which grants the US trade representative powers to respond to unfair trade practices.
“Trump threatens EU trade probe and tariffs over $1bn Google fine and claims of US tech 'robbery'.”
“The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be!” Trump wrote, adding that he was considering “a substantial TARIFF”. The post did not specify the size or scope of the proposed tariffs.
The threat comes a day after Trump announced new tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners, including the EU, the UK and China. Last month he also threatened a 100% import tariff on any European country that introduces a digital services tax on American technology giants, despite many already having such taxes for years.
Trump claimed in his post that Apple had received EU fines of $15bn, Meta was fined $3bn and Amazon $2.5bn. The origin of those figures was not clear, and representatives of the companies and the European Commission have been contacted for comment.
José Castañeda, a Google spokesman, told the BBC the company had “worked hard to comply” with Europe’s Digital Markets Act but had “expressed our concerns about the impact of recent EC decisions. We appreciate the engagement by the administration and US government.”
Major US tech companies, including Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon, have donated millions of dollars to funds behind Trump’s campaign and presidency. Shortly before Trump was elected in 2024, Apple chief executive Tim Cook called him directly to complain about EU fines, following a long-running dispute over unpaid taxes that Apple lost.
The 301 investigation could escalate tensions between Washington and Brussels, potentially unraveling the trade truce struck under the Turnberry agreement last autumn. It remains unclear how the EU will respond or whether new tariffs will be imposed before the investigation concludes.