A US$140 million fine on tech tycoon Elon Musk’s social media platform underscores how Europeans undermine US policies even while demanding that the United States provide military protection, one of the top American diplomats wrote on Saturday.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other American officials in criticising the European Union’s fine on Musk-owned X as censorship. But Landau went further than Rubio by invoking broader ideological and strategic concerns.
Landau posted on social media that the EU’s differences with the Trump administration on many issues undermine the idea of a partnership with the US despite the transatlantic security alliance Nato. The EU’s regulatory stance could hurt shared Western security and values, Landau wrote.
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“When these countries wear their Nato hats, they insist that Transatlantic cooperation is the cornerstone of our mutual security,” Landau posted. “But when these countries wear their EU hats, they pursue all sorts of agendas that are often utterly adverse to US interests and security. This inconsistency cannot continue.”
The X fine, announced on Friday, is the first significant enforcement action under the EU’s Digital Services Act. European regulators said they cited X for a deceptive blue-check verification system, inadequate transparency in advertising records and refusal to grant researchers access to public data.
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The criticism from Landau, along with earlier objections by Rubio, US Vice-President J.D. Vance and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, reflects Washington’s concerns over the impact of European digital regulations on American companies.