Trump threatens trade action against European Union over billions in fines on Google, Apple
U.S. President has slammed Europe’s “unfair” penalties on American tech giants after Google hit with $3.5 billion fine.
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President Donald Trump has warned that he could launch a trade investigation to nullify what he described as discriminatory fines imposed by the European Union on U.S. technology companies such as Google and Apple.
Taking on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these taxpaying American companies.”
His comments came just hours after Google was ordered to pay nearly $3.5 billion in a major EU antitrust case targeting its advertising technology business.
In his post, Trump accused Europe of “effectively taking money that would otherwise go to American investments and jobs.” He added, “This is on top of the many other fines and taxes that have been issued against Google and other American tech companies, in particular. Very unfair, and the American taxpayer will not stand for it!”
The move followed a White House dinner the previous evening with top tech executives, where Google CEO Sundar Pichai publicly thanked Trump for constructive dialogue after a favorable U.S. court ruling in Alphabet’s own antitrust battle.
Trump has also claimed Google had already paid $13 billion in “false claims and charges,” though the source of that figure was unclear.
Trump also took aim at the EU’s actions against Apple, highlighting rulings that have cost the company billions in back taxes and fines. He pointed to a 2024 Irish court decision that required Apple to pay over $14 billion in back taxes, part of a total he claimed amounted to $17 billion.
“Apple should get their money back!” the President said.
