Former US President Donald Trump has vowed to pursue criminal prosecution against Google if he returns to the White House, alleging that the tech giant has engaged in “illegal activity” by manipulating search results to favor his opponents.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Google’s algorithms deliberately suppress negative stories about Vice President Kamala Harris while promoting positive coverage, while doing the opposite for him. He described this practice as a clear example of “interference in elections” and called for the Justice Department to take action.
Trump warned that if the Justice Department fails to prosecute Google, he will request the company be held accountable “at the maximum levels” if he wins the upcoming election and is re-elected as President.
Trump’s threat appears to be backed by evidence of Google’s biased search results, highlighted in recent studies by the Media Research Center (MRC). One such study found that Google was artificially inflating search results in favor of Vice President Harris, while another revealed that the company was demoting Trump’s campaign website in search results during the previous election cycle.
Additionally, Google faced criticism for censoring search results related to a recent assassination attempt at one of Trump’s rallies in Pennsylvania, which the company later attributed to an error.
The issue of Google’s alleged election interference is set to continue, with Trump and his allies likely to keep the pressure on the tech giant as the 2024 election approaches.
