“Daaaaaaaaad, the Europeans are picking on me again!”

This may not be a direct quote from Joel Kaplan, Meta’s chief of global affairs, who recently spoke at the Munich Security Conference, but it accurately captures the essence of his message.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Kaplan traveled to Europe to inform political leaders that Meta will not hesitate to involve President Donald Trump if the company continues to face stringent regulations from the European Union. Kaplan reportedly stated that it is up to the Trump administration to determine whether the EU’s penalties against American tech companies are unfair, and Meta will not be afraid to seek assistance if necessary.

During a panel discussion at the conference, as reported by Bloomberg, Kaplan said, “When companies are treated differently and in a discriminatory manner, it is essential to bring this to the attention of their home government.” He added, “While we aim to operate within the framework of European laws and always will, we will highlight instances where we believe we have been treated unfairly.”

Meta has certainly been under scrutiny from the EU, accumulating over $3 million in fines for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) alone. The company is also facing an ongoing investigation for allegedly failing to protect minors on its platform. Earlier this month, Meta announced that it would open its Facebook Marketplace to third-party competitors in the EU, following an antitrust fine. However, Meta could avoid these consequences by ceasing its monopolistic control over platforms and refraining from breaking laws. This suggestion is offered to Zuckerberg and his team at no additional cost.

The most significant aspect of Kaplan’s statement is the indication of a new approach towards international regulators. While Meta has expressed discontent with the penalties it has faced in the past and has even disputed some of them, the company is now adopting a new strategy: threatening to seek assistance from Trump.

This move is not entirely unexpected. Zuckerberg has been building a relationship with Trump since the latter began performing well in the polls prior to the 2024 election. Following Trump’s victory, Zuckerberg made a point to visit him at Mar-a-Lago and started modifying platform moderation policies to be more favorable to Trump’s agenda. Additionally, Zuckerberg promoted Kaplan, a seasoned Republican political operative.

Trump has also shown signs of potentially pushing back against attempts to punish American firms like Meta. During a speech at the World Economic Forum last month, the President stated that the EU should not be fining American companies, referring to it as “a form of taxation” and expressing that “We have some very big complaints with the EU.”

It appears that Meta has taken note of this message and is now using it as a warning to regulators who may be considering doing their job. Certainly, this is a tactic that Meta hopes will be effective, especially if it means avoiding accountability at the company’s expense.