President Donald Trump launches trade probe into the European Union to reverse tech fines and impose substantial tariffs.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the administration will launch a formal trade probe into the European Union. The investigation aims to cancel significant fines recently levied against American technology giants, including Google, Apple, Meta, and Amazon. Trump criticized the bloc for "robbing" American companies and taxpayers, specifically citing a $1 billion penalty on Google for its search engine practices. The administration will use Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to conduct the probe, which allows the government to impose tariffs on countries that unfairly burden U.S. commerce. Trump stated that the European Union will face a "substantial" tariff at the earliest possible moment as a result of the investigation. This move follows the administration's recent imposition of 10% to 12.5% duties on goods from 60 economies that failed to adequately enforce forced labor bans. While the European Commission defended its recent penalties as necessary for antitrust compliance, Trump insisted that the U.S. will no longer serve as a "piggybank" for Europe.