Trump threatens EU with 'substantial TARIFF' for 'ROBBING' U.S. tech giants - CNBC

What the report says

CNBC reported that President Donald Trump said Friday his administration would open a trade investigation into the European Union after the bloc imposed a new penalty on Google and previously fined other major U.S. technology companies. In a Truth Social post, Trump accused the EU of targeting American firms and said the inquiry would likely lead to a “substantial” tariff on the 27-member bloc.

According to CNBC, Trump focused on a recent European penalty against Google, which he described as a $1 billion fine, and also criticized earlier actions involving Apple, Meta and Amazon. The European Commission said Wednesday that fines totaling 890 million euros were tied to Google’s alleged failure to comply with the Digital Markets Act, the EU law designed to regulate large digital platforms and their market conduct.

Trump said the U.S. would immediately begin a probe under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a tool that allows Washington to respond to trade practices it finds unfair or burdensome to U.S. commerce. CNBC noted that his administration has used the same authority in other tariff actions, including new duties of 10% to 12.5% on goods from more than 80 countries that took effect hours before his EU announcement.

The development matters because it links long-running U.S.-EU tensions over technology regulation to a possible new tariff fight. CNBC also reported that a federal lawsuit challenging the latest Section 301 tariffs was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of two small businesses.