How Mark Zuckerberg may be behind Donald Trump's 'substantial' tariff threat on countries imposing digital taxes

US President Donald Trump has recently threatened to impose "substantial" tariffs on countries that implement digital taxes. This decision came just days after a private meeting with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of

Meta Platforms

. A report by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the meeting, stated that Zuckerberg raised concerns about these

digital service taxes

, which are levied on the revenue tech companies generate from users in a specific country. Following the discussion, Trump stated that digital taxes will harm

US technology companies

while giving "a complete pass to China’s largest Tech Companies." He warned that unless these "discriminatory actions are removed," the US would impose tariffs and export restrictions on semiconductors.In a recent post shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies.”

What Meta said about Zuckerberg’s White House meeting with Trump

In a statement to Bloomberg, Meta confirmed the meeting between Trump and Zuckerberg. A company spokesperson said: “Mark Zuckerberg visited the White House last week to discuss Meta’s domestic infrastructure investments and advancing American tech leadership abroad.”

Trump’s recent comments have reignited tensions over digital services taxes imposed by several US trading partners, a dispute that predates his latest meeting with Zuckerberg. Washington has long argued that such taxes, which may be levied by countries including France, Italy, Austria, Spain, and the UK, disproportionately target American tech giants such as Meta, Amazon, and Google’s parent company, Alphabet.Since Trump’s return to office, Zuckerberg has worked to strengthen his relationship with the president, who once labelled him a “criminal.” Efforts have included changing Meta’s moderation and diversity policies, contributing $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and making repeated visits to the White House and Mar-a-Lago. Zuckerberg has also expanded his Washington footprint by purchasing homes near the vice president’s residence and bringing Trump allies into Meta’s leadership. Their improved ties have led to frequent discussions on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to European tech regulations. Apart from discussing concerns over European regulatory overreach, at their recent White House meeting, Trump and Zuckerberg also reportedly focused on Meta’s planned $50 billion data centre in Louisiana. Trump later highlighted the project during a Cabinet meeting and shared a visual supplied by Zuckerberg to emphasise the data centre’s vast scale.