In brief
Donald Trump has announced that the United States will launch an investigation into the European Union following a €890 million fine levied against Google and other penalties against Apple, Meta and Amazon. In a post on Truth Social he said the fines should be reversed, the US would not be a “piggybank” for Europe and a Section 301 trade investigation could be initiated. Trump has also threatened to impose a substantial tariff and has already announced tariffs ranging from 10–12.5 % on 60 trading partners, including the EU, UK and China. The US has set up several such investigations since last year. Google’s spokesman noted compliance with Europe’s Digital Markets Act but expressed concern over recent Commission decisions.
Donald Trump has declared the United States will launch an investigation into the European Union over the €890 million fine imposed on Google and has threatened to impose tariffs similar to those already announced against 60 trading partners.
The former president posted on Truth Social that any fines should be reversed, stating that the United States won’t be a “piggybank” for Europe and that a 301 trade investigation could be started immediately.
Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act empowers the United States Trade Representative to probe trade practices deemed unfair, and the administration has already launched several investigations.
In the past week, the EU has also fined Apple, Meta and Amazon billions in euros, sparking further calls from Trump for a tariff to protect U.S. companies.
Google’s chief spokesman said the company had complied with the Digital Markets Act but was concerned about recent European Commission decisions.
