Former President Donald J. Trump sued Google during his administration over allegations that the company violated antitrust law, but this week he told attendees at The Economic Club of Chicago and Bloomberg News he might not break up the company if he were reelected to the presidency. But this doesn't mean Google would remain unchanged.
Questions began with the economy and how his economic plan for the U.S. would foster growth, despite pushing up the country’s debt. It would also mean bringing companies back to America and lowering taxes for those willing to make products in the United States.
When the conversation shifted to Google's antitrust trials, Trump said, “Google has a lot of power, and they are very bad to me."
He referenced how articles rank in Google Search.
“If
I have 20 bad stories and 20 good ones, you will only see the 20 bad stories,” he said. “I called the head of Google the other day and said, ‘I’m getting a lot of good stories
lately, but you don’t find them in Google. I think it’s a whole rigged deal.’”
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Trump commented on the trials, and stopped short of stating he would break up Google, but said he would “do something,” because the company has become such a powerhouse.
How Google became such a "powerful company" should become the focus of the discussion, he said, adding that the U.S. must take into consideration that China does not overshadow or surpass U.S. technology. “China is afraid of Google,” Trump said.
Trump initially wanted to ban TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, and called for the need for the U.S. to defend against it, but now believes the United States should fight through the threats.
“I’m not a fan of Google -- they treat me badly -- but are you going to destroy the company by [breaking it up?]” he said. “What you can do without breaking it up is to make sure they’re fair.”