Washington, D.C. – Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning Monday, threatening to impose steep tariffs and export restrictions on countries that he claims are unfairly targeting American technology firms such as Google, Meta, and Amazon.
Trump threatens tariffs on countries targeting U.S. tech giants – Shutterstock
“Taxes or legislation on digital services, and regulations on digital markets, are all designed to discriminate against or harm American technology,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. His comments appeared aimed at European nations and organizations that have passed recent legislation targeting Big Tech.
The European Union is in the spotlight, having implemented two key laws in recent years: the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which focuses on competition rules for online platforms, and the Digital Services Act (DSA), governing content moderation and user protections. The UK has also introduced a digital services tax.
Trump warned that unless these “discriminatory measures” are lifted, he may introduce “substantial additional tariffs” on goods imported from the countries in question, or restrict exports of U.S. technologies — including semiconductors.
“America and American technology companies are no longer the world’s piggy bank or doormat,” he added.
In June, Trump called off trade talks with Canada after the country proposed a new digital services tax targeting U.S. multinationals like Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta. Canada subsequently dropped the measure.
Many Western governments have been increasing oversight of large digital platforms — not just to protect users’ personal data, but also to rein in anti-competitive practices by dominant tech players. These efforts are taking shape alongside parallel debates over how artificial intelligence should be governed when used in commercial applications.
FashionNetwork.com with AFP
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