Trump Issues Stern Warning After EU Fines Elon Musk’s X: ‘Europe Has To Be Very Careful’
President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to European leaders on Monday after the European Commission fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X a staggering $140 million for alleged violations of the EU’s Digital Services Act. The fine, announced last Friday, sparked immediate backlash from Trump administration officials, with the president himself signaling potential retaliation or diplomatic consequences.
Speaking during a White House roundtable, Trump appeared caught off guard when briefed on the penalty.
“That’s a nasty one. Elon has not called me to ask for help on that one,” Trump said. “I don’t think it’s right. I don’t see how they can do that.”
Trump suggested he would review the matter further and promised to get a “full report” from his advisers. But he didn’t mince words about the broader implications.
“Look, Europe has to be very careful,” the president warned. “They’re doing a lot of things. … Europe is going in some bad directions. It’s very bad for the people.”
Biden-Era Tech Hostility Reversed
The president’s defense of Musk and X marks another departure from the Biden administration’s antagonistic stance toward free speech platforms. Under Trump, the White House has aligned itself with American tech innovators facing what it views as foreign overreach or censorship disguised as regulation.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were quick to denounce the EU’s fine, calling it a direct attack on American companies.
“The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on [X], it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments,” Rubio said.
EU Accuses X of Misinformation and ‘Misleading’ Verification
The European Commission’s top complaint centered around X’s subscription-based verification system, claiming it misleads users by offering verification without identity checks. The commission argued this creates a “transparency risk” for users trying to determine whether content is authentic.
X owner Elon Musk rejected the accusation, saying, “My goal was to democratize verification, rather than have it be controlled by a group of biased elites!”
X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, went further, accusing the EU of exploiting a bug in the platform to promote its own anti-X video ad in a deceptive way. In response, X terminated the European Commission’s ad account entirely.
“You logged into your dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach,” Bier said.
Users Rally to Musk’s Platform
Far from damaging the platform, the EU’s punitive action appears to have backfired. According to Musk, X saw record-breaking downloads across Europe in the days following the announcement of the fine.
“The European Union is not DEMOcracy–rule of the people–but rather BUREAUcracy–rule of the unelected bureaucrat!” Musk posted on Sunday.
Political Fallout Mounts
The battle between Brussels and Musk is already reshaping international tech policy. With Trump, Vance, and Rubio coming to X’s defense, the conflict may now evolve into a broader transatlantic clash over digital sovereignty and speech freedoms.
Observers say Trump’s warning is more than rhetorical—it signals that the administration is prepared to confront the EU over what it views as targeted attacks on American innovation.
As for Musk, he’s doubling down on X’s mission: “Free speech is worth fighting for—and we won’t back down from global bullies.”
Follow Real News Now on X: https://x.com/realnewsapp