The former president referenced a study done by the right-wing non-profit The Media Research Center that claimed Google puts search results for Harris over those for Trump. Google denies they manipulate search results in anyway.
Former President Donald Trump in a long rant posted to his social media site Truth Social says that if he reelected he will use the Justice Department to prosecute the search engine giant Google, over perceived favoritism towards Vice President Kamala Harris.
“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,” the former president wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.
Trump is likely referencing an article published this week by the non-profit right wing organization The Media Research Center (MRC) claiming they conducted a study that showed Google favors Harris over Trump in their search rankings. The study was picked up and reported by prominent right wing outlets such as the New York Post and Fox News.
Trump is likely referencing an article published this week by the non-profit right wing organization The Media Research Center (MRC) claiming they conducted a study that showed Google favors Harris over Trump in their search rankings ( Image: Getty Images)
“This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections,” Trump added, without specifying which criminal statute he was referring to. “If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, at the maximum levels, when I win the Election, and become President of the United States!” Trump wrote.
A Google spokesperson told USA Today that they deny any claim that the company favors any candidate over another, while also pointing out the flaws in the MRC study. The report “looked at a single rare search term on a single day a few weeks ago, and even for that search, both candidates’ websites ranked in the top results on Google,” according to the statement.
This is not the first time Trump has threatened to use the Justice Department, if reelected, to prosecute his perceived political rivals. He has threatened to imprison a variety of rival political figures including Harris herself, President Joe Biden, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump while office attempted to get then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to un-recuse himself from the investigation into the 2016 election and order him to prosecute Hillary Clinton, according to the Mueller Report.
A Google spokesperson told USA Today that they deny any claim that the company favors any candidate over another ( Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The MRC in speaking with Fox News said it had analyzed search results for “Donald Trump presidential race 2024” from Sept. 6 and found seven articles in the “Top Stories” section above Trump’s campaign website. The articles were from what the group characterized as “left-wing sources” being the New York Times, Politico, and the Washington Post.
Google said in their statement to USA Today that “We absolutely do not manipulate Search results to favor any candidate,” the spokesperson.” They added that articles on the surface level of the search engine are constantly changing at any given time.
