WHAM! Elon Musk, Trump admin rip into the EU after X hit with MASSIVE fine

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Billionaire Elon Musk, along with the Trump administration, are slamming the European Union for levying a massive $140 million fine against Musk’s social media platform, X. The EU says the fine is because X is “deceiving” users.

From the New York Times: The European Union fined X, the social media company owned by Elon Musk, $140 million on Friday for violating one of the bloc’s major laws targeting the technology industry. The case has been seen as a test of European officials’ willingness to aggressively regulate tech companies at the risk of antagonizing the Trump administration.

X is the first company to be fined under the European Union’s Digital Services Act, a sweeping law intended to force large internet companies to protect their platforms against manipulation and illicit content. The Trump administration has criticized the policy as an attack on free speech and American tech firms.

Regulators in Brussels said the penalty against X was not about free speech but about the company’s lack of controls to prevent the platform from being abused. That included X’s “deceptive design” that allowed users to mislead others about their identities, opaque advertising practices and refusal to provide independent researchers with access to public data.

“Deceiving users with blue check marks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the E.U.,” said Henna Virkkunen, the executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy for the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, in a statement. “We are holding X responsible for undermining users’ rights and evading accountability.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the EU on Friday, writing, “The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on @X, it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments. The days of censoring Americans online are over.”

U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder added, “Today’s excessive €120M fine is the result of EU regulatory overreach targeting American innovation. The Trump Administration has been clear: we oppose censorship and will challenge burdensome regulations that target US companies abroad. We expect the EU to engage in fair, open, & reciprocal trade — & nothing less.”

Musk fired back at the EU on Saturday, writing, “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people.”

He has pinned the comment to the top of his X page.

“I mean it. Not kidding,” Musk later added.

“The people of Europe should withdraw from the EU to regain their sovereignty,” Musk further declared.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) agreed, “Abolish the EU!!! Who’s in for EurExit?”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) wrote, “The European Commission’s $140 million fine on @X is an abomination. It’s an attack on a great American job creator & it’s an attack on the free speech of every American. Trump should impose SANCTIONS until this travesty is reversed.”

Musk replied, “The “EU” imposed this crazy fine not just on @X, but also on me personally, which is even more insane! Therefore, it would seem appropriate to apply our response not just to the EU, but also to the individuals who took this action against me.”

Investor David Sacks also weighed in, writing, “Europe must defend free speech or we don’t defend Europe.”

X user DogeDesigner wrote:

Brazil fined 𝕏, yet 𝕏 refused to censor users.
Australia fined 𝕏, yet 𝕏 refused to censor users.
Canada fined 𝕏 yet 𝕏 refused to censor users.
Now the EU is trying it too & 𝕏 will once again stand up for your right to free speech.
𝕏 keeps choosing free speech over control.

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