Former President Donald Trump has unleashed a lengthy rant on his social media platform, Truth Social, asserting that he would direct the Justice Department to investigate Google if he is reelected. His comments stem from a belief that Google exhibits favoritism toward Vice President Kamala Harris, a claim he views as detrimental to his political standing.
Trump’s assertions appear to be rooted in a recent article by the right-wing group Media Research Center (MRC), which contends that Google’s search algorithms favor Harris over Trump in search results. This claim has been picked up by various conservative media outlets, including the New York Post and Fox News.
In his post, Trump declared, “It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris.” He labeled this behavior as “ILLEGAL ACTIVITY” and called for the Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against the company for what he perceives as election interference. Trump emphasized that he would advocate for prosecution at the highest levels upon winning the election.
Google has responded to Trump’s claims, firmly denying any bias in its search results. A spokesperson for the company pointed out the shortcomings in the MRC study, highlighting that it analyzed a “single rare search term on a single day,” and noted that both candidates’ websites appeared among the top results for that search.
This is not the first time Trump has threatened to leverage the Justice Department against political opponents. He has previously hinted at wanting to imprison various figures, including Harris, President Joe Biden, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His administration also sought to pressure then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to pursue legal action against Hillary Clinton concerning the investigation into the 2016 election, as documented in the Mueller Report.
As the political landscape evolves, Trump’s claims against Google and threats of prosecution add another layer to the ongoing discourse around election integrity and media influence.