Former U.S. President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has accused Google of deliberately showing negative stories about him and vowed to prosecute the tech giant if he is re-elected in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Trump made the claims in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, though he did not provide evidence to support his accusations.
In his post, Trump alleged that Google’s search engine favors positive stories about his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, while showing only “bad stories” about him. Trump and Harris are set to face off in the November 5 presidential election.
“This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections,” Trump wrote. He added that if the Justice Department does not act, he would personally seek Google’s prosecution “at the maximum levels” if he wins the election.
Trump’s comments followed a report from a conservative group claiming to have observed biased search results when using the term “Donald Trump presidential race 2024.” However, no details were provided to substantiate the report’s claims.
In response to an inquiry from AFP, Google refuted the allegations, stating, “Both campaign websites consistently appear at the top of search for relevant and common search queries.” The company further clarified that the report in question examined a single search term on one day, and even then, both Trump’s and Harris’s websites were among the top results.
Google has consistently denied manipulating its search results to favor any political candidate. The company pointed out that its search algorithm prioritizes factors such as the timeliness and popularity of news topics, but the exact mechanics of how its search engine operates are not publicly disclosed.
Trump’s accusations come as he faces multiple criminal and civil cases. The former president is currently embroiled in legal battles involving charges of sexual abuse, paying hush money to an adult film star, interfering with the 2020 election results, and attempting to obstruct the peaceful transition of power after his loss to President Joe Biden.
As the 2024 election draws near, Trump’s remarks have sparked debate over the role of tech companies in politics and the transparency of their search algorithms. Whether or not these allegations will lead to formal action remains to be seen, but they have already added fuel to the ongoing scrutiny of Big Tech’s influence on elections.