Donald Trump has threatened to impose “substantial” tariffs upon the European Union after the bloc announced it would be fining Google $1bn for breaches of online competition laws.

It is the first major action against the tech giant under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), after the EU found that Google had favoured its own apps and services over those from rivals.

The US president accused the EU of taking “direct aim at GREAT American companies” after previous fines issued against Apple, Met and Amazon.

Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: “The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about.

“The penalties will be entirely reversed and, we anticipate, a substantial TARIFF to be placed on them at the earliest possible moment.”

The European Commission has issued two fines following two breaches of the DMA, which include a €460m penalty after Google favoured its own services for helping people book flights and hotels over competitors in search results.

This has been combined with a second €430m fine due to its Play Store rules, only showed offers available in Google’s own marketplace and failed to show other cheaper options.

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