The first months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been a wild ride, with nearly too many plots and subplots to keep track of. What are the U.S. president’s relationships with Russia? What would his tax returns show about them if they were released? Can this level of crisis really go on for nearly four years? Is there a way out?
Google searches started from inside the U.S. show what’s on the public’s mind.
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Trump was barely elected when people started Googling “how to impeach donald trump“:
“How does impeachment work” had a sudden popularity last November, followed by ‘impeachment‘ in February:
Or could Trump be induced to resign, somehow? Maybe the results from “president resign” (which peaked this month) will shed some light on the possibility:
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A president can be removed from office due to “incapacity” – mental deterioration, for example. The rules are laid out in section 4 of the 25th amendment to the U.S. constitution, which Googlers have a sudden, focused interest in. “25th amendment section 4” and “25th amendment” both peaked in February. The surge in interest may have been connected to Trump’s first press conference as president, in which he seemed rambling and bizarre.
Is this a constitutional crisis? What is a constitutional crisis anyway, and how would you know if you were in one? Better Google “constitutional crisis“:
Is there another way out? What if Democratic stronghold California just seceded? (It’s a fantasy, but a strangely bipartisan one; many Texans enjoyed the idea of going it alone just after former president Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012.)
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“Texas secede” has since lost its appeal, but “california secede” has taken its place, peaking in January as Trump was inaugurated. (Oddly, “massachusetts secede“) hit its peak in January 2004, as George W. Bush was inaugurated for the second time, but hasn’t had much visibility since.)
Trump’s poorly understood links to Russia have led to whispers of treason. What is treason, anyway, and is this it? And what would it mean if the answer was yes?
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“Treason,” “treason russia,” “what is treason” and “treason punishment” all peaked in January and February:
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Could this search string be political? Absolutely. It exploded this month after Time magazine reported on a White House dinner in which everybody present was served one scoop of ice cream except for Trump, who got two.
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And searches for “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” peaked after the U.S. election:
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