Trump has slammed the European Union for targeting Apple and other US tech giants.
The EU’s relationship with several major US tech companies. including Apple, is not good, and now US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken out on the issue. Trump made a virtual appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos and made several statements criticizing the EU.
“Trump on Wednesday slammed the European Union for imposing heavy fines on the world’s biggest tech companies, calling them a tax on US corporations,”
wrote Julia Shapiro, a journalist and global news and politics writer for The Hill.
“They took $15 or $16 billion from Apple. They took billions from Google. I think they are looking to take billions from Facebook,” she said. “Whether you like them or not, they are Americans, and they should not be doing this,” Trump continued. “I think it is a form of taxation. We have a huge problem with the European Union.”
Apple’s fines were part of a long-running legal battle over Irish taxes that just ended. The European Union ruled that Apple’s tax deal with Ireland was illegal and forced the company to pay significant back taxes.
Users also had mixed reactions to the EU’s fines against US companies, highlighting the diversity of opinions on this issue. One user said: “I agree with the EU. Despite their mistakes, they are admirable in protecting citizens from the power of big business.
When Trump’s whole goal is to increase the power of corporations and reduce their accountability.
expect Trump to stir up more controversy.”
In addition to defending American tech companies, Trump also criticized the EU’s economic policies in general. “The EU is mistreating us,” he said. “We have a trade deficit of hundreds of billions of dollars with the EU. Nobody is happy about that, and we will do something about it.”
Just days into his second term, Trump’s comments suggest that Apple’s relationship with the EU could become more complicated. This potential threat to American tech companies is a matter of concern. It will be interesting to see how a second term for Trump could affect the fate of Apple and other American tech companies facing harsh EU scrutiny, not just on financial matters but also on important issues like app store policies.