Musk Delivers Blunt Message To EU Officials Who Slapped Giant Fine On X

dailycaller.com

Elon Musk fired back at European Union officials Friday after the bloc hit his social media platform X with a $140 million fine, and he warned that his response will target the individuals responsible.

“The ‘EU’ imposed this crazy fine not just on [X], but also on me personally, which is even more insane!” Musk wrote on X. “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.”

The European Commission penalized X for violating transparency rules under the Digital Services Act. The Commission said in its press release that X’s blue checkmark system “deceives users” because anyone can pay for verified status “without the company meaningfully verifying who is behind the account.”

The Commission also cited problems with X’s advertising library and its failure to provide researchers access to public data. (RELATED: Elon Musk Declares War On Wikipedia With ‘Grokipedia’ Launch)

A Commission official said investigators identified three entities behind X: X Holdings Companies, xAI and Musk himself “at the top.”

Musk called EU officials “woke Stasi commissars” and said they would soon learn the “full meaning of the ‘Streisand Effect.'” He later posted that the EU should be “abolished.”

The fine drew sharp criticism from Washington. Vice President JD Vance called the penalty an attack on free speech. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the fine targets “all American tech platforms and the American people.”

The dispute adds fresh tension to already strained relations between Brussels and the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has threatened additional tariffs on the bloc if it continues penalizing American tech companies.