(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on products from the European Union in retaliation to the bloc’s $1 billion (€890 million) fine of Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
Most Read from Bloomberg
The president in a social media post Friday said the US would launch a trade investigation “into the practice of ‘ROBBING’ American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer.”
“The penalties will be entirely reversed and, we anticipate, a substantial TARIFF to be placed on them at the earliest possible moment,” Trump posted.
The president has frequently made tariff threats against the US’s largest trading partners, and has followed through on some of them while retreating from others.
Trump said his administration would carry out the probe under Section 301 of the Trade Act, his new favored legal authority to rebuild the tariff wall that was pierced earlier this year by the Supreme Court
Trump’s threat comes on the heels of his decision to impose duties of at least 10% on products from around 60 trading partners, including the EU, citing the desire to limit goods made with forced labor. Under those levies, also covered by Section 301, many items from the EU aren’t meant to exceed that level.
Earlier: How Trump Is Maintaining His Tariff Wall: Explainer
The US and EU struck an agreement last year that capped American tariffs on most imports from the bloc at 15%.
Trump has long complained about EU regulation of American technology giants, complaining it treats those companies unfairly. In his post, the president criticized similar actions against Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., calling the fines an “illegal and highly discriminatory practice.”
The EU on Thursday imposed its fine on Google for violating the bloc’s Digital Markets Act, saying the company had unfairly favored its own search services and prevented app developers from steering consumers to offers outside its Play Store.
–With assistance from Kevin Whitelaw.
(Updates with additional context throughout)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.