His commitment to strict digital regulation earned him a sanction that was as political as it was spectacular. Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner for the Internal Market, now appears on a list published Tuesday, December 23, of European personalities banned from visas to stay in the United States. At issue: its central role in the implementation of European rules governing tech giants, which deeply irritated Donald Trump.
Strong-headed, Thierry Breton had established himself as one of the most visible figures of the former European Commission. His fight against the abuse of power by large platforms has propelled him to the rank of bête noire of the American president, engaged at the end of the year in an offensive against European regulations imposing strict obligations on platforms, in particular the reporting of problematic content. A recent memo from the State Department, cited by the American press, more broadly mentions new instructions aimed at restricting visas for tech professionals, in particular those specializing in moderation accused of “censoring Americans”.
Sheriff of the “Wild West” of tech giants
More concretely, Washington seems to have very badly digested the $140 million fine imposed at the beginning of December by the European Union on “For too long, European ideologues have taken concerted actions to force American platforms to sanction opinions to which they oppose,” denounced the head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio on X, affirming that the United States would no longer tolerate this “extraterritorial censorship”.
Thierry Breton immediately reacted, denouncing on X a “wind of McCarthyism” in the United States. Before recalling that the European legislation on digital technology, the DSA, had been adopted by 90% of the European Parliament and unanimously by the 27 member states, underlining its democratic legitimacy.
Unexpected, this sanction highlights the intense activity of the former commissioner in Brussels. From 2019 to 2024, Thierry Breton was omnipresent. He especially made himself known to the general public through his head-on fight against the digital giants, with a direct and very political style. Responsible for digital, he led investigations targeting X, Meta and TikTok for the alleged dissemination of false information and hate speech. The flagship texts of the DSA and the DMA, intended to regulate Amazon, Apple, Google or Meta, remain one of the main feats of arms of this former French Minister of the Economy. These two texts impose new obligations to put an end to the abuse of a dominant position and the laissez-faire nature of the dissemination of illegal content. “The Internet cannot remain a Wild West,” he liked to summarize.
Quick to take out the boxing gloves
Accustomed to confrontations, Thierry Breton already knows well the terrain on which Donald Trump leads him. On social networks during his time at the Commission, his muscular exchanges with Elon Musk – first cordial, then openly confrontational – then helped to publicize this standoff. Former boss of Atos, in 2019 he was one of the first major business leaders to join the European Commission. Very present in the media and on social networks, he quickly built an image as a disruptor, not hesitating to take out his boxing gloves, including against certain colleagues.
He will undoubtedly have started one fight too many in the spring of 2024 by publicly attacking President Ursula von der Leyen, during a controversy over a nomination, even though he had had her ear for a long time. Saying he was disavowed by the German leader, he then took the lead in September 2024 by slamming the door of the Commission with a bang, giving way to Stéphane Séjourné, a loyalist of Emmanuel Macron.
However, he has not lost the support of Europe on this issue. European elected officials from all sides denounced the American sanction, while Paris condemned “with the greatest firmness” the visa restriction. The European Commission also strongly condemned the American sanctions and Thierry Breton’s successor, Stéphane Séjourné, expressed his “total solidarity”.
