Trump Announces Trade Probe Into EU, Signals Major Tariffs Over Fines on US Tech Giants

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the launch of a trade investigation into the European Union over its fines against major American technology companies, while warning that the 27-member bloc could face "substantial" new tariffs.

In a lengthy post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday, Trump accused the European Union of unfairly targeting U.S. companies and, by extension, American taxpayers.

He specifically criticized the EU's recent decision to fine Google nearly $1 billion, saying the bloc was once again singling out leading American technology firms. The European Commission imposed the penalty after finding that Google had breached the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by giving preferential treatment to its own services, harming competition in the online search market.

"The European Union is doing it again, and as always, directly targeting great American companies," Trump wrote, also referring to previous EU penalties imposed on Apple, Meta, and Amazon.

Trump claimed the latest fine against Google had been imposed "without explanation." However, the European Commission said the €890 million penalty was based on Google's failure to comply with the Digital Markets Act, legislation designed to regulate the market power of major digital platforms.

The president said such actions by the European Union would not continue under his administration.

"The United States is not Europe's piggy bank, and we will not allow it to become one," he wrote.

Trump said his administration would "immediately" initiate an investigation under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, a legal provision that allows the United States to impose trade measures, including tariffs, against foreign practices deemed unfair or harmful to U.S. commerce.

The announcement came just hours after the administration imposed new tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on products from more than 80 countries, including members of the European Union, citing concerns over the use of forced labor.

Later on Friday, the new tariffs were challenged in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The lawsuit, filed by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of two small businesses, argues that the administration is improperly using Section 301 of the Trade Act to implement Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs, which the plaintiffs say were previously struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year.

Trump insisted that the European Union "must pay a heavy price" for what he described as its "illegal and highly unethical" treatment of American technology companies.

"These fines will be fully withdrawn," he wrote. "And we expect to impose substantial tariffs on them as soon as possible. Stay tuned."