NEW YORK/WASHINGTON — US tech billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday blasted the European Union for a fine slapped on his social media platform X for violating transparency rules, warning that his response would target the officials responsible for the penalty.

"The 'EU' imposed this crazy fine not just on (X), but also on me personally, which is even more insane!" the Tesla CEO wrote on X. "Therefore, it would seem appropriate to apply our response not just to the EU, but also to the individuals who took this action against me."

He followed up with another post, saying, "The EU should be abolished."

The EU's decision has already drawn sharp rebukes from US officials, who depicted the fine as an assault on broader free speech rights and claimed US companies are being unfairly targeted, local media reported.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on the EU if it continues to penalize US tech giants.

The European Commission on Friday imposed a fine of 120 million euros ($140 million) on X for violating its transparency obligations, the first significant enforcement action under the EU's Digital Services Act.

The fine underscores how Europeans undermine US policies even while demanding that the United States provide military protection, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, one of the top US diplomats, wrote on Saturday.

European regulators said they cited X for a deceptive blue-check verification system, inadequate transparency in advertising records, and refusal to grant researchers access to public data.

EU officials have said they are protecting users from deception, scams, and misinformation, and said X's status as a US company had nothing to do with the decision to levy a fine.

Xinhua - Agencies