Donald Trump has vowed to seek criminal charges against Google if re-elected president, accusing the tech giant of manipulating search results to unfairly favor his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, while displaying negative stories about him. Trump’s remarks were made in a post on Truth Social, where he labeled Google’s actions as “illegal” and warned that he would direct the Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges if he wins the 2024 election.
In his post, Trump stated, “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 claimed that such practices amounted to election interference and said he would request prosecution should he regain the presidency.
Google has denied manipulating search results to benefit any political party, and the company said in a statement that both Trump and Harris’s campaign websites “consistently appear at the top of Search for relevant and common search queries.” Despite this, complaints from conservatives about bias in Google’s search algorithms have persisted for years.
The former president’s accusations follow a pattern of threats to use presidential power to prosecute perceived political opponents. Earlier this month, Trump made similar claims, saying he would go after lawyers, donors, and political operatives involved in what he calls “election fraud.” He also suggested that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be prosecuted for her actions related to the January 6 Capitol attack.
And maybe he should, given how they have all treated him.
Trump’s focus on Google stems from long-standing conservative concerns about bias in Big Tech, but his latest comments have added a legal dimension to his campaign’s fight against what he sees as unfair treatment.
And lots of people will agree with him, won’t they?