Donald Trump has threatened the European Union with imposing "substantial" tariffs following the multimillion-euro fines that Brussels has imposed on major US technology companies. The president has accused the bloc of acting in an "illegal and highly discriminatory" manner against companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon and Meta for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to hipertextual.com, Trump has confirmed that his administration will immediately launch an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a mechanism that allows tariffs to be imposed if it is determined that foreign trade practices harm the United States.

The catalogue of fines that angers Trump

The immediate trigger has been the €890 million fine that the European Commission imposed on Google this week for two violations: prioritizing its own services in search results and blocking app developers from informing users about offers outside the Play Store.

But Google is not an isolated case. Trump has listed a history of previous sanctions that, in his view, paint a pattern of selective persecution:

• Apple: $15 billion
• Meta: $3 billion
• Amazon: $2.5 billion
• Google: more than $18 billion in total when considering previous sanctions

In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump described these fines as "economic extortion" and claimed they represent a direct theft from US companies and, by extension, from American taxpayers.

The DMA, viewed from Washington

For the Trump administration, the Digital Markets Act is discriminatory by design. Their argument is that the regulation disproportionately affects US companies, disrupts fair competition and hinders innovation. The White House has maintained this stance for months, viewing the European regulation as undermining technological development under the guise of antitrust control.

This is not the first confrontation: more than a year ago, Trump already heavily criticized the fines against Meta and Apple, using the same terms he now employs against the sanctions on Google. The difference this time is that he backs up his words with a concrete threat of immediate tariff retaliation.

Tariffs as a bargaining tool

Trump has used tariffs as a political pressure tool on multiple occasions. In fact, this threat comes just one day after the United States approved a charge of 10% to 12.5% on products from over 80 countries, including several European Union members. According to the administration, these new tariffs respond to alleged labor irregularities.

Section 301, which Trump invokes, is a mechanism available since 1974 that allows the US president to impose unilateral tariffs if he determines that other countries' trade practices harm American interests. In this case, the administration not only threatens, but orders an immediate investigation through this avenue.

Brussels, silent for now

For now, the European Commission has not publicly responded to the threats. The executive arm of the EU maintains its firm stance: the DMA is a necessary regulation to ensure fair competition in the digital market, and fines are applied when there is verified non-compliance, regardless of the nationality of the affected companies.

The question hanging in the air is whether the European Union will yield to tariff pressure or opt to defend its regulatory position. What is clear is that the technological conflict between Washington and Brussels has escalated significantly.