Elon Musk is blasting the European Union after it ordered his social media platform, X, to pay a $140 million penalty for breaking the bloc's online safety rules.
The European Commission said X used a "deceptive" blue checkmark, failed to give clear information about ads, and blocked researchers from seeing important public data.
According to the NY Post, Musk immediately rejected the punishment, calling it "bulls–t," and later posted that the EU "should be abolished."
The penalty is the first issued under the EU's new Digital Services Act, a law meant to stop scams, false information, and other harmful content online. EU officials said the fine had nothing to do with politics.
"The fine reflects non-compliance with law – not ideology," spokesperson Paula Pinho said. She added that free speech still exists in the EU, even when people criticize the bloc.
X has not commented on the ruling, but Musk says the EU is unfairly targeting his company. He argued that the bloc wants to control speech and called the government group a "tyrannical, unelected bureaucracy."
His comments quickly stirred anger online, with some European officials firing back. One Polish leader told Musk he was welcome to "go to Mars" if he disliked Europe so much.
Elon Musk calls for abolition of European Union after it hit X with $140M ‘bulls–t’ fine https://t.co/V0LxnP8L5S pic.twitter.com/Q7mhRlqn0i
— New York Post (@nypost) December 8, 2025
Read more: X Retaliates by Banning the European Commission's Ad Account, Claims They're 'Deceptive' Too
US Officials Back Elon Musk
The United States also reacted, with several Trump administration officials siding with Musk.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed that the fine represented a broader assault on American technology companies, suggesting it targeted the entire sector rather than just one firm.
US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder said the EU was pushing "regulatory overreach" that harms American companies. Both claimed the rules could limit free speech.
EU officials, however, insisted the case is simple: X must stop confusing users with its blue checkmark system and follow transparency rules.
The EU says anyone can now pay for a checkmark without being truly verified, which puts people at risk of scams.
The bloc also accused X of hiding key information about ads, such as who paid for them and what topics they promote. X must submit fixes within 60 to 90 days, or it could face more penalties, CyberNews reported.
Critics also noted Musk did not object when Russia banned X, pointing out that his free-speech arguments seem selective.
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