Trump threatens EU with “substantial” tariffs after EU fines US tech giants

Trump accused the EU of repeatedly targeting major US companies and said Washington would not allow American businesses or taxpayers to be used as a ‘piggybank’ for Europe

President Trump has pledged to retaliate against the European Union over what he claims are unfair fines targeting Apple and other American tech giants. Here are the details.

President Donald Trump is escalating the fight over European Union antitrust penalties against Apple, Google, and other U.S. tech companies by opening a trade investigation that could lead to new tariffs.Apple CEO Tim Cook and President Donald TrumpTrump announced the investigation in a social media post after the European Commission fined Google 890 million euros on July 23 for violating the Digital Markets Act.The fine included 460 million euros, or about $517 million, for favoring Google services in search results and 430 million euros, or about $483 million, for restricting how businesses direct Google Play users to alternative purchasing options."The United States of America is not a PIGGYBANK' for Europe, nor will we allow it to be," Trump wrote. He accused the EU of unfairly taking money from American companies and said its penalties should be reversed. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

U.S. President Donald Trump today said on Truth Social that his administration plans to launch an investigation into fines the European Union has levied against tech companies like Apple, Google, and Meta for violating antitrust and Digital Markets Act rules. Trump called the European Union's conduct "illegal and highly unethical," vowing to get the penalties reversed and planning to institute a "substantial tariff." The European Union is at it again and, as usual, taking direct aim at GREAT American Companies! After having fined Apple, for no reason at all, 15 Billion Dollars, Meta, 3 Billion Dollars, Amazon 2.5 Billion Dollars, and many others, we have just been informed that Google, a truly advanced and amazing group, has been fined yet another 1 Billion Dollars, without explanation. This brings the Google total to over 18 Billion Dollars! This illegal and highly discriminatory practice started at these high levels during the first year of the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, but it's not going to continue during the Trump Administration. The United States of America is not a "PIGGYBANK" for Europe, nor will we allow it to be! Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that we will immediately initiate a 301 Investigation into the practice of "ROBBING" American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer. The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about. The penalties will be entirely reversed and, we anticipate, a substantial TARIFF to be placed on them at the earliest possible moment. Apple was fined $570 million in 2025, ‌Meta‌ was fined $840 million in 2024 and $200 million in 2025, and Google was fined $1 billion this week after a $4.5 billion Android fine was upheld earlier this month. Trump previously threatened European tariffs if the EU did not stop targeting U.S. companies, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative has also threatened to implement fees and restrictions on European services and companies. Trump has focused heavily on tariffs during his second term, affecting U.S. companies and consumers. A 10 percent blanket tariff Trump enacted earlier this year expired today. The Trump administration implemented new tariffs to replace them, accusing 60 countries of failing to "impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor." The tariffs will affect goods from the UK, China, and the European Union, among others.Tags: Donald Trump, European UnionThis article, "Trump Vows to Reverse EU Fines Against Apple and Other Tech Companies, Threatens Tariffs" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

The European Union has issued over $8 billion in fines against companies like Meta, Apple, Amazon and Google.