Donald Trump threatened to initiate punitive proceedings against Google if reelected as president. Alleging that search results show negative news about him and positive news about his opponent Kamala Harris, Trump called on the Department of Justice to intervene. In response, Google defended that it organizes search results in a neutral manner.

In a statement on Friday, the former president claimed that if he were to be elected, he would instruct the Department of Justice to start punitive proceedings against Google.

Trump stated that search results display negative news about himself and positive news about his rival Kamala Harris. In a post made on Truth Social on Friday, Trump used the expression, “It has been determined that Google uses an illegal system and only promotes bad news.” He expressed hope for the Department of Justice to examine this situation, stating, “Otherwise, when I win the elections, I will request prosecution.”

GOOGLE’S RESPONSE Google defended that it organizes search results in a neutral manner, stating, “Both campaigns are visible in relevant search queries.” However, Trump’s campaign team alleged that Google used “sponsored” features to promote positive news about Harris. Trump had previously threatened to initiate legal proceedings against those who opposed him during the election process.