President Donald Trump on June 27 threatened to impose 100% tariffs on any country that enacts a digital services tax on American tech firms, emphasizing that the new levies would supersede all prior deals.
The message was posted on Trump's Truth Social account, where he explicitly named Europe as a likely target. He wrote: “Many European countries are discussing imposing digital services taxes on US companies. Some are about to do so. Let this be a warning that any country imposing such a tax will immediately face a 100% tariff on all goods exported to the US.”
This is the latest move in Trump's campaign to forcefully retaliate against foreign efforts to regulate American tech giants. Previously, in August 2024, he described such measures as “designed to harm or discriminate against US technology.”
During his second term, Trump has maintained close ties with the US tech sector, pledging to cut domestic regulations and support emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. He and his allies also view Europe's content moderation rules as a form of censorship.
Last month, the European Union reached an agreement with the US capping tariffs on most EU products at 15%, but the deal did not address digital services taxes. Trump later accused the EU of failing to comply and set a July 4 deadline — US Independence Day — for a new accord.
However, in his June 27 post, Trump warned that the 100% retaliatory tariff on digital services taxes would “replace” all other deals, “whether signed or not,” and take effect immediately.
