Hours after the European Commission imposed a €3B ($3.5B) fine on Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google over the search giant’s advertising practices on Friday, President Donald Trump threatened to launch an investigation that could lead to higher tariffs against the EU.
“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,” Trump said in a social media post.
With the latest fine, the Mountain View, California-based company’s EU liabilities reach $9.5B, far exceeding those imposed on its rival tech giants Apple (APPL), Meta (META), and Microsoft (MSFT), according to an analysis by Bloomberg News.
“They should get their money back! We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity,” Trump said, noting that Apple (APPL) also faced a $17B fine “that, in my opinion, should not have been charged.”
His administration will be forced to launch a Section 301 investigation as a response “to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies,” he added.
The White House recently launched a Section 301 investigation to impose trade levies on Brazil over the South American nation’s trade practices. A similar probe could lead to retaliatory tariffs against the EU, which only a few weeks ago reached a major trade agreement with the U.S., avoiding trade taxes as high as 30% on certain imports.