Trump threatens EU with tariff probe over Google, tech fines

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to initiate a tariff investigation against the European Union in response to the bloc's antitrust fines and other penalties imposed on US tech giants such as Google, Apple, Amazon, and Meta. He specifically cited Thursday's €890 million (roughly $1 billion) fine against Google for allegedly giving unfair preference to its own search engine and Play app.

The threat came just hours after his administration imposed new tariffs on the EU and many other countries, accusing them of insufficient action to prevent imports made with forced labor. US trading partners and allies, including the EU, Japan, and Australia, have reacted with outrage and bafflement.

Trump issued the warning in a rambling post on his Truth Social platform. He listed several fines against tech companies, falsely claiming they were imposed without reason. He alleged that Google's fines totaled over $18 billion, without providing evidence or a timeframe. EU courts recently upheld a record fine of over $4 billion against Google, a case that had been under review for almost eight years.

Trump wrote that the US is not "a piggybank for Europe" and that he will immediately initiate a 301 Investigation into the practice of "robbing American companies." A 301 Investigation refers to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the US to impose retaliatory sanctions after demonstrating unfair trade practices. This tool has become central after the Supreme Court blocked Trump's earlier near-global tariffs.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had already criticized the EU decision on Thursday, stating that it undermines constructive dialogue and poses a real risk to transatlantic trade stability. The EU and US have been bickering over the fragile trade agreement reached last year amid Trump's tariff frenzy. The slow ratification process across the EU's 27-plus member states has frustrated the Trump White House.