Trump lashes out at EU over massive Google fine: ‘I told you so’

President Trump on Thursday lashed out at the European Union for imposing a record $5 billion antitrust fine on Google.

Trump wrote in a tweet that the move shows the EU is targeting U.S. companies.

{mosads}“I told you so!” he said. “The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!” 

I told you so! The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2018

The EU’s decision, the second record antitrust fine in as many years against Google, comes amid escalating trade tensions between Europe and the U.S.

The fine was a result of a three-year investigation into the company’s practices of bundling its search and browser apps with its Android operating system.

Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s competition chief, said that allowed Google to illegally establish dominance in the mobile search market.

“These practices have denied rivals the chance to innovate and compete on the merits,” Vestager said. “They have denied European consumers the benefits of effective competition in the important mobile sphere. This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.”

A spokeswoman for Google did not immediately respond when asked for comment on Trump’s tweet.