Trump threatens new EU tariffs over Google tech fines

President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on the European Union after Brussels fined Google €890 million for violating the bloc’s digital competition rules. Trump said Friday that his administration would launch a Section 301 investigation into what he described as the EU’s practice of unfairly targeting American companies and taxpayers. The investigation could allow the US to impose tariffs or other trade measures if officials determine that EU policies discriminate against American commerce. “The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said he expected the technology penalties to be reversed and warned that a substantial tariff could be imposed on the bloc. The European Commission fined Google on Thursday after finding that the company favored its own services in Google Search and restricted businesses from directing Google Play users toward alternative purchasing channels. Trump also criticized previous penalties against Apple, Meta and Amazon. The Commission fined Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million in April 2025 for separate breaches of the Digital Markets Act. The announ...