Trump strikes back at sanctions against X and bans a former European commissioner from entering the US
Thierry Breton, who pushed for regulations on X, Meta, and TikTok, is one of the five affected.
BarcelonaThe regulation of technology companies and their capacity for political influence has become a new front in the clash between Donald Trump's United States and EuropeThe Trump administration has banned five European citizens from entering the United States, accusing them of "coercing" social media platforms to censor American voices, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced early this morning. Among those sanctioned is former European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton (2019-2024), who championed regulations to limit disinformation on platforms such as X, Meta, and TikTok. British activist Imran Ahmed, executive director of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), an organization dedicated to combating hate and disinformation online, has also been banned. The identities of the other three sanctioned individuals have not yet been made public. Rubio stated in a press release that these individuals "have led organized efforts to coerce U.S. platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American opinions with which they disagree." For this reason, the head of US diplomacy has determined that "their entry, presence, or activities in the country have potentially adverse consequences." Visa restrictions have been imposed on them, prohibiting their entry into the country, and deportation proceedings would be initiated against them if they were found on US soil.
The State Department's announcement came weeks after the European Commission (EC) imposed a fine of 130 million euros for X, owned by Elon Muskfor failing to comply with the transparency obligations established by the Digital Services Act (DSA). Rubio at the time called the sanction "an attack on the American people by foreign governments." The Trump administration, which has stated its intention to combat diversity and inclusion policies, considers the regulation of social media to limit misinformation and hate speech to be a form of censorship.
