Threatened with new fees… Trump after fining Google: We are not a piggy bank for Europe
Trump wrote in a post on his network, Truth Social, that the bloc “will pay a very high price for its illegal and deeply immoral behavior, which I have warned about repeatedly.”
Huge tariffs
He said that he would “immediately order an investigation under Article 301” into what he considered the European Union’s “plundering” of American companies, pointing to “huge tariffs” that would be imposed “as soon as possible.”
He stressed that “the United States is not a piggy bank for Europe and will never be.”
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the United States to investigate foreign practices it considers discriminatory and respond by imposing tariffs.
Google fines
On Thursday, the European Union imposed two fines on Google, worth 890 million euros ($1 billion).
The conglomerate fined the giant American group 460 million euros because the company illegally favored its own services, such as “Google Flights” for flights or “Google Hotels” for hotels, at the expense of competitors in search results.
The second fine, amounting to 430 million euros, was imposed because Google did not allow application developers to display offers for free to consumers outside its online store, Google Play.
Digital Markets Law
The total of this fine against “Google” is the largest against a single company under the competition law known as the “Digital Markets Law” after the European Union imposed penalties worth 200 million euros on “Meta” and 500 million euros on “Apple” in 2025.
The law entered into force in 2024 and seeks to limit what the European Union considers the violations of major technology companies, in an effort to ensure fair competition in the digital field.
Relations with Washington
Fines on Google had been expected for months as part of an investigation that began in 2024, but Brussels faced accusations of delaying the move for fear of harming relations with Washington.
This measure came days before the first anniversary of the tariff agreement concluded between Washington and the European Commission, which contributed to easing trade tensions.
American technology companies
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement Thursday that the fine constitutes a “real danger to the stability of transatlantic relations.”
He added: “The European Union constantly emphasizes that it seeks to achieve stability and transparency in our trade relations, but this type of action raises a state of uncertainty regarding US exports of goods and services.”
The Trump administration previously accused Brussels of targeting American technology companies, threatening to respond to the European Union by imposing customs duties.
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