What is the story about?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk called for the "abolition" of the European Union after the regional bloc fined his social media platform X a whopping €120 million. On Saturday, the billionaire lashed out over the matter and threatened to pursue each country individually in a series of posts on the site.
X, formerly known as Twitter, was fined over transparency breaches. “The EU should be abolished, and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” Musk wrote in a post on Saturday, shortly after the ruling. Hours later, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the bloc, insisting that Europe was America’s closest ally.
“Dear American friends, Europe is your closest ally, not your problem. And we have common enemies. At least that’s how it has been in the last 80 years. We need to stick to this; this is the only reasonable strategy for our common security. Unless something has changed,” he wrote on X. His response came amid reports of frustration in the White House about the latest directive against X.
America's stance on the matter can be reflected by US Vice President JD Vance's response to the EU's conduct. On Thursday, he said that the bloc should be “supporting free speech, not attacking US companies over garbage.”
After a thorough investigation which went on for two years, the European Commission ruled against X on three counts. It found that the ‘blue tick’ verification badge was deceptive, as users could simply pay for the privilege; that there was a lack of transparency over advertisers on the site, falling foul of safeguards against scams and illegal promotions; and that researchers were denied access to what should be public data.
According to The Telegraph, the first charge included a €45 million fine, the second €35m and the last €40 million. In light of this, the EU commission spokesperson said that the penalty was for a breach “committed by X”, but addressed to the “entire corporate structure,” which the bloc’s officials had previously said consists of three entities with Mr Musk “at the top”.
Musk went on to condemn the ruling, describing the fine as "crazy". “The ‘EU’ imposed this crazy fine not just on [X], but also on me personally, which is even more insane!," he wrote in the post. “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," he said.
Meanwhile, top officials from US President Donald Trump's administration piled in with their own biting criticisms of the verdict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the fine was “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments. The days of censoring Americans online are over.”
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau went on to encourage Washington to further disengage from its role in the Nato member alliance. "The nations of Europe cannot look to the US for their own security at the same time they affirmatively undermine the security of the US itself through the (unelected, undemocratic, and unrepresentative) EU," Landau said in a statement.
Amid the brewing tensions between the US and EU, Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on the bloc if it proceeds with the penalisation of US tech giants, while his officials have pushed Brussels to scrap the DSA entirely.
In the National Security Strategy, the White House welcomed the growth of “patriotic” European political forces opposed to the bloc’s current trajectory, and said it would help to “cultivate” them.
“Nobody elected you,” the hard-Right Dutch firebrand Geert Wilders wrote on X, addressing the EU. “You are a totalitarian institution and can’t even spell the words' freedom of speech. We should not accept the fining [of X], but abolish [the Commission]," he added.
X, formerly known as Twitter, was fined over transparency breaches. “The EU should be abolished, and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” Musk wrote in a post on Saturday, shortly after the ruling. Hours later, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the bloc, insisting that Europe was America’s closest ally.
The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2025
“Dear American friends, Europe is your closest ally, not your problem. And we have common enemies. At least that’s how it has been in the last 80 years. We need to stick to this; this is the only reasonable strategy for our common security. Unless something has changed,” he wrote on X. His response came amid reports of frustration in the White House about the latest directive against X.
What the investigation was about
America's stance on the matter can be reflected by US Vice President JD Vance's response to the EU's conduct. On Thursday, he said that the bloc should be “supporting free speech, not attacking US companies over garbage.”
After a thorough investigation which went on for two years, the European Commission ruled against X on three counts. It found that the ‘blue tick’ verification badge was deceptive, as users could simply pay for the privilege; that there was a lack of transparency over advertisers on the site, falling foul of safeguards against scams and illegal promotions; and that researchers were denied access to what should be public data.
According to The Telegraph, the first charge included a €45 million fine, the second €35m and the last €40 million. In light of this, the EU commission spokesperson said that the penalty was for a breach “committed by X”, but addressed to the “entire corporate structure,” which the bloc’s officials had previously said consists of three entities with Mr Musk “at the top”.
Musk went on to condemn the ruling, describing the fine as "crazy". “The ‘EU’ imposed this crazy fine not just on [X], but also on me personally, which is even more insane!," he wrote in the post. “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," he said.
Musk ruling angers Trump administration
Meanwhile, top officials from US President Donald Trump's administration piled in with their own biting criticisms of the verdict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the fine was “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments. The days of censoring Americans online are over.”
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau went on to encourage Washington to further disengage from its role in the Nato member alliance. "The nations of Europe cannot look to the US for their own security at the same time they affirmatively undermine the security of the US itself through the (unelected, undemocratic, and unrepresentative) EU," Landau said in a statement.
Amid the brewing tensions between the US and EU, Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on the bloc if it proceeds with the penalisation of US tech giants, while his officials have pushed Brussels to scrap the DSA entirely.
In the National Security Strategy, the White House welcomed the growth of “patriotic” European political forces opposed to the bloc’s current trajectory, and said it would help to “cultivate” them.
“Nobody elected you,” the hard-Right Dutch firebrand Geert Wilders wrote on X, addressing the EU. “You are a totalitarian institution and can’t even spell the words' freedom of speech. We should not accept the fining [of X], but abolish [the Commission]," he added.
