Trump Threatens EU with New Tariffs on Tech Companies

Trump plans a trade investigation into the EU over fines on Google, signaling potential new tariffs impacting American tech companies.

New tariffs could be on the horizon — this time over Silicon Valley.

Donald Trump stated on Friday that his administration plans to open a trade investigation into the European Union following a $1 billion fine imposed on Google by regulators, a move that may lead to steep new tariffs on the bloc.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticized the EU for what he described as unfair targeting of American technology companies. He announced that the U.S. would immediately initiate a Section 301 investigation into the discriminatory treatment of U.S. businesses.

“The European Union is at it again and, as usual, taking direct aim at GREAT American Companies!” Trump wrote. “The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe.”

Furthermore, Trump warned, “The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about.”

His comments were made just a day after the European Commission fined Google €890 million (approximately $1 billion), asserting that the company violated the EU’s Digital Markets Act by steering users of Google Search and Google Play towards its own services at the expense of competitors. The commission emphasized that the action aims to protect competition and benefit consumers.

Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s executive vice president for clean, just and competitive transition, remarked, “The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine.”

This latest dispute further intensifies the ongoing conflict between Brussels and Silicon Valley. In 2025, the EU had already imposed significant penalties of €500 million on Apple and €200 million on Meta for breaching the bloc’s competition rules.

As of now, the White House and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding the ongoing situation.