U.S. President Donald Trump [Photo=White House] 

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on the 24th (local time) of retaliatory tariffs through a Section 301 investigation in response to the European Union (EU) imposing a massive fine on Google.

President Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, "I have just heard that Google, a truly advanced and great company, has been hit with another $1 billion fine by the EU, for no reason. The U.S. is not Europe’s 'piggy bank,' and we will not let that happen!"

President Trump continued, "We will immediately begin a Section 301 investigation into their practice of 'fleecing' U.S. companies and taxpayers," emphasizing, "The EU will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical behavior."

He further added, "The fines will all be returned, and we expect substantial tariffs to be imposed as soon as possible."

The previous day, the EU imposed an additional fine of 890 million euros (approximately 1.5 trillion won) on the U.S. Big Tech company Google for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act grants the executive branch the authority to respond to unfair or discriminatory practices and policies of foreign governments, including through the imposition of tariffs. The "forced labor tariffs" imposed by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on 60 countries, including South Korea, the day before were also the result of a Section 301 investigation.