Trump's Tariff Threats On Countries Levying Digital Taxes Follow Reported Meeting With Zuckerberg

President Donald Trump's recent warning that he will impose“substantial” tariffs and export restrictions on countries that levy digital taxes reportedly came just days after he met with Meta Platforms (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the White House. 

According to a Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with the discussion, Zuckerberg raised concerns that digital service taxes unfairly target U.S. tech firms at a meeting late last week. The following Monday, Trump said such measures discriminate against American companies while giving“a complete pass to China's largest Tech Companies,” in a post on Truth Social. He added that all governments with these policies are“on notice,” vowing to defend U.S. technology leaders from what he called attacks on American innovation and global competitiveness.

Meta reportedly confirmed that Zuckerberg and Trump met last week.“Mark Zuckerberg visited the White House last week to discuss Meta's domestic infrastructure investments and advancing American tech leadership abroad,” the company told Bloomberg.

The report added that since the start of Trump's second term, his relationship with Zuckerberg has improved, with the two speaking regularly on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to European regulation of Big Tech. During their White House meeting last week, they revisited those themes, discussing Meta's planned data center in rural Louisiana, and what both view as regulatory overreach in Europe, the report said.

Meta's stock edged 0.6% higher by midday trade. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around the tech giant remained in 'bearish' territory over the past day, with retail chatter dropping to 'extremely low' from 'low' levels. The company and Zuckerberg have been pushing ahead with Meta Superintelligence Labs, the firm's AI arm, this year. Efforts have included hiring top talent and acquiring smaller AI startups, while also contending with the loss of key staff to competitors.

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