Former U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to pursue criminal charges against Google if he wins the 2024 presidential election, accusing the tech giant of bias in its search results.
Trump claimed that Google manipulates its platform to promote negative stories about him while favouring Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump alleged that Google engages in illegal activities by pushing unfavorable narratives against his campaign and fabricating some stories.
He also criticized the platform for promoting positive coverage of Harris through its “sponsored” feature.
He wrote:
“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.
“This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections. If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, when I win the Election and become President of the United States.”
Google has denied these accusations, stating that its search results are not biased in favor of any political party.
The company clarified that Trump’s and Harris’s campaign websites appear fairly in relevant searches.
“Both campaign websites consistently appear at the top of Search for relevant and common search queries,” the company said in a statement.
Conservative groups, including the Media Research Center, have long accused Google of leaning towards Democratic candidates.
Trump’s latest comments add to his pattern of threatening legal action against political opponents, which includes calls for investigations into figures like Nancy Pelosi and her husband over financial dealings.
This dispute highlights the growing tension between tech companies and political leaders over perceived partisanship.
