Trump’s Visa Bans on European Disinformation Fighters Draws New Criticism

The EU and US Clash Over Technology Regulation as Trump Administration Imposes Visa Bans

The European Union and its leading member states responded with outrage yesterday after the United States imposed visa bans on five Europeans involved in digital content regulation, marking a significant escalation in transatlantic tensions under President Donald Trump’s administration.

France, Germany, and EU officials in Brussels denounced the move as an unprecedented attack on allies. The bans target several prominent figures engaged in combating online hate speech and disinformation, most notably former French EU commissioner Thierry Breton, who played a key role in crafting Europe’s digital regulations targeting major technology companies.

U.S. officials announced the bans on Tuesday, accusing the five Europeans of censoring free speech and imposing unfair regulatory burdens on American technology firms. The decision represents the latest in a series of confrontational actions by the Trump administration toward traditional European allies, as relations deteriorate across multiple fronts including defense, immigration, technology policy, and fundamental political values.

Washington has increasingly characterized Europe as a declining power, arguing the continent suffers from inadequate defense capabilities, uncontrolled migration, excessive bureaucracy, and what it describes as censorship of far-right and nationalist voices. The visa restrictions follow a recent U.S. National Security Strategy document that warned Europe faces “civilizational erasure” unless it changes course and proves itself a reliable ally.

This stark warning, alongside provocative statements from senior Trump officials, has deeply unsettled European capitals and challenged long-held assumptions about transatlantic partnership. A pivotal moment came in February when Vice President JD Vance delivered a controversial speech in Munich, forcing European leaders to consider a future with reduced dependence on American technology and military protection.

Officials in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin reacted with indignation, defending Europe’s sovereign right to establish regulatory frameworks for foreign companies operating within its borders. A European Commission spokesperson “strongly condemned” the U.S. decision, stating: “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world.” The spokesperson warned that the EU could “respond swiftly and decisively” to these “unjustified measures.”

French President Emmanuel Macron publicly supported Breton, confirming he had spoken with the former commissioner and praised his work. “We will not give up, and we will protect Europe’s independence and the freedom of Europeans,” Macron declared on X.

Breton, who served as European Commissioner for the Internal Market from 2019 to 2024, was instrumental in developing the Digital Services Act—landmark legislation requiring tech giants to address illegal content such as hate speech and child sexual abuse material on their platforms. This regulation has provoked anger from the Trump administration, which argues it imposes “undue” restrictions on free expression while unfairly targeting American companies.

Tensions escalated further this month when Brussels fined Elon Musk’s X platform €120 million for violating EU online content rules. Musk and Breton have engaged in frequent public disputes over European regulation, with Musk labeling Breton the “tyrant of Europe.” Responding to the visa ban, Breton defiantly asked on X: “Is McCarthy’s witch hunt back?”

According to U.S. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, the bans also apply to Imran Ahmed, British CEO of the U.S.-based Center for Countering Digital Hate; German activists Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon from the non-profit HateAid; and Clare Melford, co-founder of the Global Disinformation Index.

Germany’s justice ministry expressed “support and solidarity” with the targeted German activists, describing the visa bans as unacceptable. The ministry emphasized that HateAid supports victims of unlawful digital hate speech, adding: “Anyone who describes this as censorship is misrepresenting our constitutional system. The rules by which we want to live in the digital space in Germany and in Europe are not decided in Washington.”

The British government also weighed in, reaffirming its commitment to free speech while acknowledging each nation’s right to establish its own visa regulations.

A spokesperson for the Global Disinformation Index condemned the U.S. action as “an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship,” adding: “The Trump Administration is, once again, using the full weight of the federal government to intimidate, censor, and silence voices they disagree with. Their actions today are immoral, unlawful, and un-American.”

This is not the first time the Trump administration has sanctioned a French citizen. In August, Washington imposed sanctions on French judge Nicolas Yann Guillou, a member of the International Criminal Court, over the tribunal’s investigation of Israeli leaders and previous inquiries into U.S. officials.