The president makes vague threats while lashing out at overseas digital services taxes.
Tariff-loving Donald Trump has issued an unhinged threat against countries he claims don’t show the U.S. and major tech companies “respect.”
In a typical deranged late-night post on Truth Social, the MAGA president warned he would impose “substantial” new tariffs and block U.S. chip exports to countries that enforce digital taxes.
Trump argued that digital service taxes are designed to “harm, or discriminate” against American technology, and issued a sinister warning for if they are not dropped.
Trump has long railed against digital services taxes, including those imposed in Europe, which primarily hit U.S. tech giants, including Apple, Google, and Meta.
“They also, outrageously, give a complete pass to China’s largest Tech Companies. This must end, and end NOW,” Trump wrote.
“With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed,” he added. “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! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
While not mentioning any nation by name, his comments appear to be a swipe at the European Union, whose Digital Markets Act (DMA) designates tech behemoths as “gatekeepers” and seeks to ensure they do not have a monopoly on their respective markets or abuse their powers.
The president’s warning came shortly after the U.S. and EU issued a joint statement pledging to negotiate over “unjustified trade barriers” targeting U.S. tech companies and agreeing not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions, Bloomberg reported.
In June, Canada also pulled plans to tax American tech companies’ operations in the country to appease Trump amid threats to impose higher tariffs on imports from its northern neighbor.
Trump blasted Canada’s proposed digital tax—which would have slapped a 3 percent levy on Canadian revenue above $20 million—as a “blatant attack.”
At the time, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “caved” to Trump by dropping the tax, originally announced in 2020.
