From the New York Times: The European Union fined Google roughly $3.5 billion on Friday for violating its competition laws, a move that risks escalating tensions with the Trump administration.
The European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation bloc, said Google had breached antitrust laws by using its size and dominance to control the display advertising business, undercutting rivals.
The European Union’s aggressive regulation of the tech industry has been a major source of contention with the United States. Apple, Meta and X have also been the subject of recent investigations. The Trump administration sees the policies as unfairly punitive toward American firms. Last week, President Trump threatened tariffs against countries that targeted American tech companies, without specifically mentioning the European Union.
The report quotes Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s top antitrust regulator, as saying, “Today’s decision shows that Google abused its dominant position in ad tech, harming publishers, advertisers and consumers.”
President Trump blasted the move in a pair of posts on Truth Social Friday afternoon. He wrote:
Europe today “hit” another great American company, Google, with a $3.5 Billion Dollar fine, effectively taking money that would otherwise go to American Investments and Jobs. This is on top of the many other Fines and Taxes that have been issued against Google and other American Tech Companies, in particular. Very unfair, and the American Taxpayer will not stand for it!
As I have said before, my Administration will NOT allow these discriminatory actions to stand. Apple, as an example, was forced to pay $17 Billion Dollars in a Fine that, in my opinion, should not have been charged — They should get their money back!
We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
In another post, Trump added:
In addition to my previously posted TRUTH concerning Google, please let this Statement serve to represent that Google has also paid, in the past, $13 Billion Dollars in false claims and charges for a total of $16.5 Billion Dollars. How crazy is that?
The European Union must stop this practice against American Companies, IMMEDIATELY!
READ MORE from the New York Times.
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