The Blubber

Republican nominee Donald Trump urged his supporters to stop using Alphabet Inc.’s Google, labeling the search engine as “illegitimate” and reinforcing his criticism of major tech companies.

“Something’s wrong with Google,” Trump stated during an interview with the controversial video-game personality Adin Ross on Monday. “Maybe everyone should just stop using Google.”

Trump's remarks followed claims from billionaire Elon Musk and others that Google is obstructing efforts to gather information about him. Musk accused Google of implementing a “search ban” on Trump, sharing an image that seemed to show the search engine's auto-correct suggesting “Donald Duck” when “President Donald” was typed. Musk, who supports Trump and is contributing to a pro-Trump super PAC, has endorsed these views.

Trump has recently intensified his attacks on Google. Last week, he told Fox Business that he believes “Google is going to be close to shut down because I don’t think Congress is gonna take it.” However, there are currently no serious congressional efforts to curtail Google’s operations.

Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, has also adopted a strong stance against Big Tech, questioning whether Meta Platforms Inc. should control both Facebook and Instagram, and scrutinizing Google's ownership of YouTube. Vance has also voiced concerns about Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence project.

Trump's interview with Ross comes as he attempts to counter the growing support for Kamala Harris since the vice president entered the race last month. Trump’s campaign has yet to devise effective strategies to challenge Harris, who could become the first Black woman and Asian American U.S. president if elected.