President Donald Trump has threatened new trade measures against the European Union after Brussels imposed a €890 million (about $1 billion) Google fine on Alphabet, sharply escalating tensions between Washington and the bloc over tech regulation and trade policy.
On Truth Social, Trump called the European Commission’s decision “illegal” and “highly unethical,” accusing the EU of unfairly targeting American tech companies. He also said the United States would launch a Section 301 investigation into what he called Europe’s “unfair treatment” of U.S. businesses, warning the bloc would face serious consequences for its actions.
The Google Fine follows European Union regulators determining that Google had violated the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark law to rein in the monopoly of the big digital platforms. The European Commission announced on Wednesday that the company “gave preferential treatment to its services, including shopping, hotels, transport, and sports results,” while limiting fair visibility for other competing providers.
Regulators also said Google banned app developers from leading users to alternative payment systems apart from Google Play. The Commission told the company to stop these practices and imposed two financial penalties totalling €890 million. The European Commission did not immediately respond to Trump’s threat Friday.
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The ruling is one of the most significant enforcement actions under the DMA and reflects the EU’s broader effort to curb Big Tech. Brussels insists the rules are to ensure fair competition and more consumer choice, denying charges that U.S. companies are being targeted. Trump has time and again used tariffs, or the threat of tariffs, to penalize countries for actions that have nothing to do with trade policy.
But Trump contended the Google fine is part of a larger pattern of discrimination against American companies. He also pointed to past EU actions against companies like Apple and Meta, saying the bloc had used massive fines on successful American companies before. He said the planned Section 301 probe will determine whether these measures amount to unfair trade practices under US law.
Investigations into the Google Fine could result in retaliatory tariffs, but these often take months and aren’t a guaranteed way to get immediate action. But Trump’s statements have sparked fears of a new round of trade conflict that would divide the U.S. and Europe.
The row is particularly sensitive at a time when transatlantic relations are already fraught with disputes over digital regulation, industrial policy, and competition rules. If the U.S. imposes tariffs in response to the Google fine, analysts warn it could make broader trade talks more difficult.
Google has said EU rules force it to make changes that could hurt product quality and business opportunities, while European officials say the DMA applies to all large platforms equally and is needed to keep the digital market competitive.
The Google fine has become a new flashpoint in the rising tensions over technology governance and global trade relations between two of the world’s largest economies, with Brussels standing firm and Washington gearing up for a formal probe.
