On the 24th, US President Trump announced that the US government will launch a trade investigation into the European Union and threaten to impose tariffs on the EU in retaliation for imposing huge fines on US technology companies.
On the 24th, Trump posted on the social media platform "Real Social" accusing the European Union of "plundering" American companies and taxpayers by imposing a fine on Google. He warned that the EU would pay a "heavy" price for its actions, and "we expect to impose high tariffs on it (the EU) as soon as possible".
Trump said that the US will immediately initiate an investigation into the EU under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. This provision authorizes the US government to investigate actions it deems to have caused unfair burdens to US businesses and to take retaliatory measures against tariffs.
The European Commission announced on the 23rd that Google has violated the EU's Digital Markets Law in its online search and app store operations, and has decided to impose a total fine of 890 million euros on it.
