US President Donald Trump threatened the European Union on Friday with new tariffs and a formal trade investigation following the antitrust fine imposed by Brussels on Google.

Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network that the bloc 'will pay a very heavy price for its extremely illegal and unethical behavior, which I have repeatedly warned about.'

Massive tariffs

He said he would 'immediately order an investigation under Section 301' into what he called the EU's 'looting' of American companies, referring to 'massive tariffs' to be imposed 'as soon as possible.'

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He emphasized that 'the United States is not Europe's piggy bank and will not be.'

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the United States to investigate foreign practices it considers discriminatory and respond by imposing tariffs.

Google fines

On Thursday, the European Union imposed two fines on Google totaling 890 million euros ($1 billion). The bloc fined the US giant 460 million euros for illegally favoring its own services, such as Google Flights and Google Hotels, over competitors in search results. The second fine, amounting to 430 million euros, was imposed because Google did not allow app developers to display free offers to consumers outside its Google Play store.

Digital Markets Act

These Google fines are the largest ever against a single company under the competition law known as the Digital Markets Act, after the EU imposed penalties of 200 million euros on Meta and 500 million euros on Apple in 2025. The law came into effect in 2024 and aims to curb what the EU considers abuses by big tech companies, in an effort to ensure fair competition in the digital sphere.

Relations with Washington

The fines on Google were expected for months as part of an investigation launched in 2024, but Brussels faced accusations of delaying the move for fear of damaging relations with Washington. The measure came days before the first anniversary of the tariff agreement between Washington and the European Commission, which helped ease trade tensions.

US tech companies

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement Thursday that the fine poses 'a real risk to stability of transatlantic relations.' He added: 'The European Union consistently claims it seeks stability and transparency in our trade relations, yet this type of action creates uncertainty for US exports of goods and services.' The Trump administration has previously accused Brussels of targeting US tech companies, threatening to respond to the EU by imposing tariffs.