Last week, the European Union (EU) imposed a record fine of €120 million (around $140 million) on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter. The European Commission levied the fine on X for violating the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) transparency rules. This is the first fine of its kind under the DSA, and it has sparked a heated diplomatic confrontation between the EU and the United States.
Several high-ranking U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have criticized the penalty against X, calling it an assault on American free speech. The Trump administration has sided with Musk in this dispute. In response to the fine, Musk called the penalty “unreasonable” and has since waged an attack on the EU, even suggesting that the organization should be dismantled. In a post on X, he told his 230 million followers that the EU should be “abolished.”
Musk may “complain,” but he will still have to pay the $140 million fine as the EU stands firm following the confrontation with Hitler references.
In addition to his criticism, Musk echoed a statement by JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who recently warned that Europe is facing a “real problem.” Dimon made these remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum last week, noting that while Europe has done some remarkable things through its social safety nets, the continent has driven businesses, investments, and innovation out of the market. “Now, things are starting to come back to normal,” he added.
One X user quoted Dimon, saying: “JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said, ‘Europe has pushed businesses out, pushed investments out, and pushed innovation out.’ This is not Elon Musk speaking, it’s Jamie Dimon…” To this, Musk replied: “He’s right.”
Musk’s Calls for the EU’s Abolition
The European Commission cited multiple violations by X, including “misleading design of the ‘blue check’ feature,” a lack of transparency regarding its ad archive, and failure to provide public data access for researchers. This decision followed a two-year investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), passed in 2022 to regulate online platforms. The Commission warned that failure to comply could result in further fines.
After the fine was announced, Musk took to his X account, stating: “The European Union should be abolished, and sovereignty should be returned to individual countries so that governments can better represent their people.” When a user retweeted Musk’s comment, he replied: “I’m serious. Not joking.”
While Musk has voiced his admiration for Europe, he clarified in another post that his frustration is with the “bureaucratic monster” that is the EU.
