Trump is on collision course with EU over big tech crackdown

The European Union’s multiyear clampdown on some of the largest American companies is set to force U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to decide which bothers him more: Europe or Big Tech.

In the coming months, Apple, Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms and the X platform owned by Trump confidant Elon Musk could face billions in fines or even mandatory divestment orders from dozens of separate ongoing EU investigations.

For Trump, who last week accused the tech sector of “using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans,” that might be welcome. Except he has repeatedly accused Europe of treating the U.S. badly and said he won’t accept that.