Google’s recent exclusion of search results related to a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has ignited controversy. Users searching for information about the July 13 shooting attempt found that Google’s autocomplete feature did not display results related to the incident. This led to accusations from Donald Trump Jr. that the tech giant is attempting to influence the upcoming election.
Google Omits Trump Assassination Attempt Search Results
People were surprised when Google’s autocomplete feature did not suggest results for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Even queries like “the assassination attempt of” did not yield any references to the July 13 event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
This oversight has caused frustration, with Donald Trump Jr. accusing Google, led by Sundar Pichai, of deliberately manipulating search results to affect the election. The lack of autocomplete suggestions for the event has raised concerns among Republicans about potential bias in the presentation of the narrative.
As the U.S. approaches the November 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris has announced her candidacy with President Joe Biden’s support, while Donald Trump seeks a return to the White House. The controversy over Google’s search tools comes amidst a backdrop of political tension, particularly after Trump claimed on social media that he “took a bullet for democracy” and criticized FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris. We all know this is intentional election interference from Google. Truly despicable,” Donald Trump Jr. posted on his X account.
Fox News, which reviewed screenshots from users globally, noted that Google’s search suggestions included historical events like the botched assassination of Ronald Reagan and the killing of Archduke Ferdinand, but not the recent attempt on Trump.
Google Responds
In response to the criticism from Texas Congressman and Donald Trump Jr., a Google spokesperson told The Post that no manual alterations were made to search suggestions. They explained that their systems include safety features to prevent autocomplete suggestions related to political violence. However, users pointed out that this policy did not extend to searches about other political figures’ assassination attempts, such as those on John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and Teddy Roosevelt.
“We’re working on improvements to ensure our systems are more up to date. Of course, Autocomplete is just a tool to help people save time, and they can still search for anything they want to. Following this terrible act, people turned to Google to find high-quality information—we connected them with helpful results and will continue to do so,” the spokesperson said.