A major clash between Washington and Brussels intensified over the weekend after Elon Musk and senior Trump administration officials denounced the European Union for issuing a $140 million penalty against X, formerly Twitter.
The rebuke followed the European Commission’s announcement on Friday that it had fined the platform for what it described as violations of transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
In its statement, the commission accused X of “non-compliance with transparency obligations,” citing what it called the “deceptive” presentation of the platform’s “blue checkmark,” insufficient disclosure in its advertising repository, and a “failure to provide access to public data for researchers.” The commission released the fine notice directly on X.
Musk responded forcefully online. “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” he wrote on Saturday, later adding, “AbolishTheEU.”
A major clash between Washington and Brussels intensified over the weekend after Elon Musk and senior Trump administration officials denounced the European Union for issuing a $140 million penalty against X, formerly Twitter.
The rebuke followed the European Commission’s announcement on Friday that it had fined the platform for what it described as violations of transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
In its statement, the commission accused X of “non-compliance with transparency obligations,” citing what it called the “deceptive” presentation of the platform’s “blue checkmark,” insufficient disclosure in its advertising repository, and a “failure to provide access to public data for researchers.” The commission released the fine notice directly on X.
Musk responded forcefully online. “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” he wrote on Saturday, later adding, “AbolishTheEU.”
In an exchange triggered by a post from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas — who labelled the fine an “abomination” and urged President Donald Trump to impose sanctions “until this travesty is reversed” — Musk replied, “The ‘EU’ imposed this crazy fine not just on X, but also on me personally, which is even more insane!”
He continued: “Therefore, it would seem appropriate to apply our response not just to the EU, but also to the individuals who took this action against me,” and separately called the penalty “bulls—.”
The criticism extended across the Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued on X that the decision “isn’t just an attack on X, it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.”
Before the fine had been formally issued, Vice President JD Vance said, “The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage.”
The DSA, adopted in 2022, was created to regulate online platforms and “prevent illegal and harmful activities online and the spread of disinformation.”
The Trump administration has since challenged aspects of the law as conflicting with its broader free speech stance. EU officials rejected claims that the penalty was tied to content oversight.
“Today’s decision has nothing to do with content moderation,” said Thomas Reigner, spokesperson for Tech Sovereignty, Defense, Space and Research at the commission. “It’s about transparency provisions for citizens here in the European Union.”
U.S. officials continued issuing statements throughout the day. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote, “The Digital Services Act is designed to stifle free speech and American tech companies,” adding, “We have made our position clear to our counterparts in Europe.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said, “Foreign bureaucrats have zero right to tell Americans what they can and can’t say.”
FCC Chair Brendan Carr added: “Once again, Europe is fining a successful U.S. tech company for being a successful U.S. tech company.
Europe is taxing Americans to subsidize a continent held back by Europe’s own suffocating regulations.”
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said, “America is done looking the other way while foreign governments seek to censor our people and bully our companies.”
The European Commission issued an additional explanation in a press release elaborating on the allegations. “X’s use of the ‘blue checkmark’ for ‘verified accounts’ deceives users,” the commission said.
“On X, anyone can pay to obtain the ‘verified’ status without the company meaningfully verifying who is behind the account, making it difficult for users to judge the authenticity of accounts and content they engage with. This deception exposes users to scams, including impersonation frauds, as well as other forms of manipulation by malicious actors.”
The commission further stated: “X’s advertisement repository fails to meet the transparency and accessibility requirements of the DSA. Accessible and searchable ad repositories are critical for researchers and civil society to detect scams, hybrid threat campaigns, coordinated information operations and fake advertisements.”
REFERENCE: FOX BUSINESS, VARIOUS SOURCES
