The Trump administration is weighing a bold and unusual step: sanctioning European Union officials over the bloc’s new tech law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). According to two people
familiar with the matter, the White House is frustrated with what it sees as European attempts to stifle American voices online and saddle U.S. tech companies with heavy compliance costs.
If it goes forward, the move would be unprecedented—Washington rarely targets government officials over regulations like this. Punishment would most likely take the form of visa bans, though no final decision has been made.
The DSA, a cornerstone of the EU’s tech policy, requires platforms to crack down harder on illegal content like hate speech and child sexual abuse material. Brussels has defended the law as both necessary and balanced, stressing that it protects free expression while making the online space safer. U.S. officials, however, argue that it goes too far and effectively censors speech—including that of Americans.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been especially vocal. Earlier this summer, he instructed American diplomats in Europe to push back against the DSA, telling them to warn governments and regulators about the costs for U.S. companies. He also threatened visa restrictions for officials who “censor” American speech, hinting that the policy could apply to foreign regulators.
The State Department won’t confirm whether sanctions are on the table, but a spokesperson said Washington is “monitoring increasing censorship in Europe with great concern.” EU officials, for their part, dismiss the accusations as baseless, insisting that freedom of expression is at the heart of the DSA.
This dispute is part of a larger trend under Trump: shifting away from traditional U.S. human rights advocacy and instead focusing on protecting conservative voices online. The administration has already imposed sanctions on a Brazilian Supreme Court justice accused of silencing Bolsonaro supporters, and it has openly criticized European governments for what it calls suppression of right-wing political movements.
The tensions have spilled into international forums. Earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance stunned European leaders at a security conference by accusing them of censoring opposition groups like Germany’s far-right AfD. European officials pushed back, insisting their rules are about fair competition and online safety—not political bias.
Meanwhile, big U.S. tech firms like Meta have sided with Washington, warning that the DSA risks turning into outright censorship of their platforms.
If the Trump administration does go through with sanctions, it would mark a sharp escalation in the already strained U.S.-EU relationship—one that’s been rocky for years over trade, tariffs, and now, the future of digital regulation. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.
