Few events in the relatively short history of the internet have sent it whirring quite like those of November 8, 2016, when an outspoken billionaire with no experience in politics landed arguably the world’s most powerful position.
Donald Trump has been U.S. President for less than three weeks, but his actions have shaken the online world over the last year. Of course, the bulk of the activity both online and offline has been back home, where 62,985,105 Americans decided Trump was the man they wanted to run their country for at least the next four years. A slight majority actually went for Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, but that’s not how the U.S. voting system works and the controversial 70-year-old did enough to secure his place in the White House as of January 20.
So how has America responded to this? By Googling! With America’s states and districts divided and polarised to the extent where Trump was able to secure 68.63% of the votes in West Virginia, yet just 29.76% in Vermont, estate agent Estately thought it would be interesting to see what each state has been Googling more than any other since November 8.
The results certainly give an interesting snapshot of how the 50 states have reacted to the reality of President Trump. For example, in Nebraska, where the 3rd congressional district had the highest pro-Trump turnout in the country, ‘Trump’s wall’ has been Googled more than in any other state. So-called ‘Buckle of the Bible Belt’ state Tennessee is combining religion with Republicanism by Googling ‘Pray for Trump’, while Republican stronghold Texas keenly asks ‘Who will Trump nominate for Supreme Court?’.
Some results show geographical relevance, like Alaska leading the way in searching for ‘Vladimir Putin’ and ‘Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’, probably because it’s the state with the closest ties to both Canada and Russia.
Meanwhile, in the fiercely Democrat states, searches show a feeling of despair and the desire to take action. Washington has hammered terms like ‘general strike’ and ‘Uber boycott’, as well as ‘West Coast secession’ among those wondering whether the staunch blue states of Washington, Oregon and California could one day go their own way. ‘California secession petition’ is a big hitter in the Golden State, as is ‘how to emigrate to Australia’ and the wonderfully weary ‘what did Trump do now?’.
George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘1984’ is on the minds of Vermont folks with fears of totalitarianism, while New York simply ponders ‘is this really happening?’.
Google Trends certainly gives a revealing snapshot of what’s on the minds of internet users in the wake of major events, and this state-by-state analysis showcases the full range of emotions being displayed in what currently appears a very disunited United States.
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