Trump threatens EU with tariffs over Google fine

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to the European Union, threatening significant tariffs and a formal trade investigation in response to the bloc's recent antitrust penalty against Google.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that the EU "will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct." He announced his intention to "immediately initiate a 301 Investigation" into what he termed the EU's practice of "ROBBING" American companies. Trump further stated his anticipation of a "substantial TARIFF" on the EU "at the earliest possible moment," asserting that "The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe."

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The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be.

This aggressive stance comes just days after the White House unveiled sweeping new tariffs, ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent, targeting approximately 60 trading partners, including the European Union. These duties, which took effect Friday, are also justified under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision that allows Washington to investigate and retaliate against foreign practices deemed discriminatory.

The U.S. president's threat follows the European Commission's decision on Thursday to fine Google 890 million euros ($1 billion) for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This marked the first penalty under the new legislation, with separate fines issued for favoring Google's services in search results and for imposing restrictions on app developers. Despite these penalties, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen affirmed the bloc's commitment to enforcing its rules, stating, "We are very committed to our rules."

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We are very committed to our rules.