Trump Warns Countries with Digital Taxes, Threatens Tariffs and Chip Export Restrictions Amid Tech Trade Tensions

Former President Donald Trump has launched a new attack on countries implementing digital services taxes, accusing them of turning Silicon Valley into the "piggy bank" of the world. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that nations with such taxes are unfairly targeting American tech companies while giving China’s largest tech firms a free pass. He declared that U.S. technology firms are “neither the ‘piggy bank’ nor the ‘doormat’ of the World any longer.” Digital services taxes—levies on the revenues generated by major digital platforms like Google and Meta—have been adopted or proposed in several European countries. Trump condemned these measures as discriminatory and harmful to American innovation. His remarks come just days after the United States and the European Union released a joint statement committing to address what they describe as unjustified digital trade barriers and agreeing not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions. Despite this cooperation, the EU made clear in a fact sheet that it has no intention of revising key digital regulations, including the Digital Markets Act, which targets dominant tech platforms like Google and Apple, and the Digital Services Act, which mandates stronger content moderation from online platforms. Trump did not name specific countries but issued a stark warning: any nation with digital taxes, laws, or regulations that target tech companies will face “substantial additional Tariffs” on its exports to the U.S., along with export restrictions on American semiconductor technology and other protected innovations. This threat leverages his long-standing use of tariffs as a negotiating tool to reshape global trade. This is not the first time Trump has targeted digital taxes. Earlier this summer, Canada abandoned plans for a digital services tax after Trump suspended trade talks with the country. His actions reflect a broader strategy of pressuring foreign governments to align with U.S. tech interests. Trump has also been increasingly active in the tech sphere, holding meetings with top executives including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently presented Trump with a glass sculpture, a gesture that comes amid Apple’s ongoing challenges with Trump’s tariff policies in China and India, where iPhones are manufactured. Adding to his tech-focused moves, Trump recently announced that the U.S. government is acquiring a 10% stake in chipmaker Intel—a move aimed at strengthening domestic semiconductor production and reinforcing national tech security.