President cites “discriminatory” penalties, vows Section 301 investigation to “nullify” what he calls unfair charges against U.S. tech giants.
President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to launch a new trade investigation aimed at the European Union, following a series of multi-billion-dollar fines levied against U.S. tech firms, including a recent nearly $3.5 billion penalty against Google.
In a post on Truth Social, the president claimed that the European fines are “discriminatory” and “effectively taking money that would otherwise go to American Investments and Jobs.” He singled out the EU’s latest antitrust ruling against Google over its advertising technology business, as well as past penalties against Apple.
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“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,” Trump wrote.
A Section 301 investigation, under the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, grants the U.S. Trade Representative the authority to investigate and take action against a foreign country’s policies or practices that are deemed to be “unjustifiable” and burden or restrict U.S. commerce. The Trump administration previously utilized this power to impose tariffs on goods from China.
The EU’s latest action against Google is part of a decade-long effort to rein in the market dominance of American tech companies. The European Commission has fined Google multiple times, including a $2.7 billion penalty in 2017 for favoring its own shopping service and a $5 billion fine in 2018 related to its Android mobile operating system.
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President Trump also referenced a 2024 court ruling that ordered Apple to pay over $14 billion in back taxes to Ireland, a figure he claimed was an unfair $17 billion fine. He demanded that Apple “should get their money back!”
The president’s remarks signal an escalation of trade tensions between the United States and the European Union, which have frequently clashed over digital regulations and taxation of American tech firms. The EU maintains that its penalties are necessary to ensure fair competition and protect consumers.
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