Google searches for 'American Civil War' surge following Trump shooting
text_fields
Former US President Donald Trump was injured in an apparent assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, sparking a significant rise in online searches for terms like 'Civil War 2' and 'American Civil War'.
According to a report in the New York Post, Google Analytics recorded a 12-month high for searches related to 'American Civil War' on the day of the incident.
The attack on the 78-year-old Republican presidential candidate has heightened fears of instability as the 2024 US presidential election approaches. The incident has been widely condemned by politicians, tech leaders, and Trump supporters, who emphasized that political violence is unacceptable.
Google Analytics also noted that interest in the term 'Secret Service' surged to its highest level in five years on the day of the shooting. The following day, searches for 'long-distance shooting' and 'gun store near me' saw significant increases, both reaching new 12-month highs.
Additionally, 'How do I move to Canada' also hit a record high in the same period.
Google Analytics tracks interest in terms by assigning points based on the volume of searches, with the highest search volume (100 points) representing the peak interest. Following the attack, 'Civil War' quickly became the most searched phrase on the platform.
Trump's team reported that he was "fine" after being shot in the ear. On his Truth Social account, Trump described hearing a whizzing sound and feeling the bullet tear through his skin, causing significant bleeding. He confirmed that the bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
The FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was registered as a Republican. The US Secret Service stated that Crooks fired multiple shots from an elevated position outside the rally before being "neutralized" by agents.