Trump announces tariff investigation of EU over tech antitrust penalties

US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that his administration will open a formal tariff investigation of the European Union, citing the bloc’s recent antitrust fines against major American technology firms such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta.

In particular, he highlighted the €890 million (approximately $1 billion) penalty imposed on Google earlier this week for allegedly favoring its own search and Play services.

The threat follows the administration’s recent duties on the EU and other trading partners over alleged failures to curb forced‑labor imports.

Trading partners including the EU, Japan and Australia have reacted with a mix of dismay and bewilderment to the new measures.

What did Trump say online?

Trump issued his warning in a post on Truth Social, where he accused the EU of repeatedly targeting U.S. companies.

“The European Union is at it again and, as usual, taking direct aim at GREAT American Companies!,” he wrote.

He enumerated several fines against tech companies, asserting they were levied “for no reason at all” and without explanation. Trump claimed the Google penalty alone brought the firm’s total fines to “over $18 billion,” though he provided no supporting data.

A European court recently upheld a record €4 billion fine against Google after an eight‑year review, one of several antitrust actions in recent years.

“The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe… we will immediately initiate a 301 Investigation in the practice of ‘ROBBING’ American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer,” he added.

What is a 301 Investigation?

Section 301 investigations, authorized by the Trade Act of 1974, enable the U.S. to impose retaliatory tariffs after determining that a trading partner’s practices are unfair.

These probes have become the primary tool for the Trump administration after a Supreme Court decision limited the scope of broad “Liberation Day” tariffs enacted in 2025.

“The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct… we anticipate a substantial TARIFF to be placed on them at the earlier moment,” Trump posted, though the statement contains a typo “reveresed.”

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer criticized the move, warning that EU enforcement actions risk destabilizing transatlantic trade dialogue.

The United States and the EU continue to negotiate a fragile trade pact, but slow ratification across the bloc’s 27+ member states has frustrated the White House.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

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