Trump's anti-Google tweet is now official White House business
Googling oneself can turn up some pretty astounding results: abandoned MySpace pages, uncomfortable snapshots we didn't know existed, and perhaps "National Left-Wing Media."
The latter is apparently what President Trump found when he searched the term "Trump News," per a Tuesday morning tweet. And now Trump's personal qualm with Google search results is sparking some form of federal inquiry, The Washington Post reports.
On Tuesday, Trump double-tweeted his dismay with finding that "96 percent of (Google) results on 'Trump News' are from National Left-Wing Media." It's not clear how Trump's seemingly anecdotal evidence produced that number, though it may have come from a right-wing blog. Nevertheless, the president declared that lack of "Republican/Conservative & Fair Media" means Google's results page is "RIGGED," and he went so far to question if it was "illegal."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow took Trump's tweeted promise to address this "serious situation" a step further. When asked if Trump thinks Google should be regulated, Kudlow told reporters Tuesday that "we're taking a look at it," per the Post. Stock in Google parent company Alphabet promptly sunk in pre-market trading, Bloomberg's Lisa Abramowicz pointed out in a tweet.
As The Toronto Star's Daniel Dale points out, the president's complaint appears to be rooted in the fact "that the news tab for Trump brings up ... news sites ... rather than right-wing opinion sites." In a statement, Google said it strives to "make sure [users] receive the most relevant answers in a matter of seconds."
If only we could all call out Google for reupping our embarrassing Facebook post from 2008.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories
The Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
By David Faris Published
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk Road
Under the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
US economy still strong in final preelection report
Speed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strike
Speed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strike
Speed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published