Life

This Is What People Googled During Trump's First 100 Days

by Lily Feinn
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Remember those innocent days of yore where "Pokemon Go" was at the top of everyone's Google search history instead of rising tensions with North Korea and possible Russian collusion? As we near a benchmark date for the current administration, what people Googled during Trump's first 100 days in office can provide some useful insight into the American mindset and our troubled state of affairs. The data, which was released by the most popular search engine in the world on Wednesday, April 26, reflects the many serious issues that have been occupying most American's waking hours, smartphone news alerts, and Facebook Feeds since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Google News Lab and Pitch Interactive have organized the Google Trends analysis of the top search topics over the past 100 days into a clear interactive graph, the rise and fall of certain popular topics dotted with important political events making it easy to see the correlations.

Though April 29 is in essence an arbitrary date, the first 100 days can be a handy tool used to reflect on what Trump has tangibly accomplished in the "honeymoon phase" of his presidency and gauge what might be to come. Many of the White House's attempts to enact its agenda have been met with massive public protests as well as opposition from both sides of the aisle and the courts (though a new Supreme Court justice does sit on the bench). The 100 day marker can also be a good time to take our own temperature in this new age of uncertainty, and assess what the next 93 percent of Trump's first term may hold.

It will come as no surprise that Russia has dominated Google's search tool. U.S./Kremlin drama has commanded the news, with Russia's possible interference in the 2016 U.S. election and the Trump associates who failed to disclose their meetings with Russian officials. Questions about these issues have have dominated the first part of the President's term and show no sign of slowing down.

The issue of immigration has also seen major search traffic since Trump's first days in office, peaking during the announcement of Trump's first temporary travel ban. Executive actions playing out in our airports and in court and the targeting of undocumented families has made the issue a notable one. Other search topics that rose to the top include the economy, ISIS, North Korea, and climate change. The Affordable Care Act also commanded American's interest, and with a renewed effort to repeal and replace, we may see yet more trending in the weeks to come.

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Interest is at its highest ever for issues such as Syria and the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA), whose searches have peaked during Trump's presidency. Trending questions that have topped the search since Trump took office include "How many Executive Orders has Trump signed?" followed by "What countries did Trump ban?"

Once this weekend is passed, what issues may rise to the top? With massive tax cuts next on the agenda, we may soon see an uptick in searches concerning tax reform... but I guess we will have to just wait and see.