The bombshell missive landed just days after Trump and Brussels issued a statement to formalize their tariff truce, provisionally established at Turnberry in Scotland in late July.
“As the President of the United States, I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies, ” Trump said. “America, and American Technology Companies, are neither the ‘piggy bank’ nor the ‘doormat’ of the World any longer. Show respect to America and our amazing Tech Companies or, consider the consequences!” he railed.
The Trump administration and some of its tech allies have repeatedly attacked the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), its flagship social media platform regulation, accusing the bloc of censorship and claiming the law would impose costs on U.S. companies.
The DSA regulates major online platforms, search engines and e-commerce. Services with more than 45 million EU users — including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok — must assess and limit risks like misinformation and harm to minors, according to the legislation.
Responding to Trump’s claim that EU legislation was “attacking” American tech companies, Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier insisted that the rules are neutral.
“The DSA does not look at the color of a company, at the jurisdiction of a company, nor the owner of a company,” he said. “The DSA and the DMA both apply to all platforms and companies operating in the EU irrespective of their place of establishment … The last three enforcement decisions that we took were against AliExpress, Temu and against TikTok.”
