The European Union has warned it could retaliate swiftly against the United States after the Trump administration imposed visa bans on five European figures central to efforts regulating online platforms and combating disinformation.
EU Condemns 'Unjustified' US Action
A spokesperson for the European Commission stated the bloc could "respond swiftly and decisively" to what it called an "unjustified" move by Washington. The bans, enacted on Tuesday, target individuals who have been instrumental in campaigns to introduce laws governing American tech giants.
European leaders, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, have accused the US of "coercion and intimidation." The sentiment was echoed by officials from Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, creating a chorus of condemnation from across the continent.
Who Is Affected by the Bans?
The travel restrictions specifically affect Thierry Breton, the former EU commissioner and a key architect of the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA), alongside four anti-disinformation campaigners. Two of the campaigners are based in Germany and two in the United Kingdom.
Justifying the decision, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media platform X that "ideologues in Europe" had led efforts to coerce American companies into censoring viewpoints they opposed. He declared the Trump administration would "no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship."
A Wider Political and Cultural Clash
The dispute centres on a fundamental disagreement over online governance. Washington views the DSA as a form of censorship, while European leaders insist such regulations are vital for controlling hate speech and disinformation. Analysts suggest this row threatens to become part of a far broader existing cultural and political conflict between Donald Trump's administration and Europe.
In other US political developments on Wednesday:
- The US Justice Department indicated it may need "a few more weeks" to process over one million additional documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case uncovered by federal prosecutors and the FBI.
- A federal judge, Trump appointee Mary McElroy, blocked the administration's efforts to reduce homeland security funding for states that do not comply with its immigration enforcement policies.
- The Trump administration approved the deployment of 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans ahead of the new year, coinciding with an ongoing immigration crackdown in the city.
Further actions included a memorandum with Palau for migrant transfers, a lawsuit over naming rights for the Kennedy Center, and escalating pressure on Venezuela, which critics compare to the rhetoric preceding the Iraq war.
