On the 5th, the EU announced that American internet giant Google had abused its dominant position, distorting competition in the online advertising market, and fined Google 2.95 billion euros (about 14.6 billion ringgit), which drew strong criticism from U.S. President Trump, who accused the EU of 'discrimination.'
Trump posted on social media, fiercely criticizing the EU's punishment as 'unfair' and 'discriminatory', bluntly stating, 'American taxpayers will not tolerate this.' He recalled a series of actions by the EU against American tech giants, including the 2016 demand for Apple to pay Ireland 13 billion euros in back taxes. He criticized the EU for repeatedly targeting American companies, essentially taking away funds that rightly belong to the U.S. economy.
Later, Trump personally told the media that he would definitely retaliate directly against the EU. He said, 'We cannot let the most unique inventions in American history be treated this way. If this really happens, I am forced to initiate Section 301 to offset this fine imposed on American taxpayer companies.'
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the United States to penalize foreign governments that engage in 'unjustifiable' or 'unreasonable' actions, or place burdens on U.S. trade.
Trump stated that he would definitely deal with the EU directly regarding this matter. It is generally believed that Trump is very likely to impose tariff retaliation on the EU.
This is not the first time Google has been heavily fined by the EU for violating regulations. The company was fined 2.42 billion euros in 2017; 4.3 billion euros in 2018; and another 1.49 billion euros in 2019.