President Donald Trump has threatened to impose substantial new tariffs and export restrictions on countries that tax or regulate U.S. tech companies. This threat, made in a post on his social media platform, is his most direct move to retaliate against nations he believes are discriminating against American firms like Google and Meta Platforms. Trump and his team have long opposed proposals from the European Union, Canada, and other nations to regulate and tax these companies.
The article mentions that Trump had previously threatened higher tariffs on Canada, causing it to back away from a digital tax proposal, and had also initiated a tariff investigation in response to Brazilian tech laws. The threat to limit exports of advanced chips for artificial intelligence models could cause concern for semiconductor companies like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. The article also notes that while the administration had previously rescinded a Biden-era rule limiting chip exports, the new threat could create uncertainty for tech companies.