President Richard Grenell? Google accidentally lists former Trump administration figure as POTUS in fake news blunder
Richard Grenell, the Trump administration’s former acting director of national intelligence, is now president of the United States… at least according to some Google searches.
Multiple results listed Grenell as the US president on Saturday, claiming he had taken over the position from President Joe Biden “since 2021.”
Searches for ‘President of the United States’ also returned Grenell’s name alongside Biden’s.
The false information appeared to come directly from Wikipedia, which is automatically used by Google in searches where it is then often stated as fact.
Americans mocked the mistake on social media and Grenell himself also weighed in, jokingly issuing a series of ‘Executive Orders’ and referencing Biden’s accident on the stairs to Air Force One this week.
Apparently Google thinks Richard Grenell is now the President.Kidding aside, the American People deserve to know far more about what’s really going on in the Biden Administration. pic.twitter.com/ZzEh3JyyDN
— Tricia Flanagan (R-NJ) (@NewDayForNJ) March 20, 2021
We all know that our overlords at Google are never wrong. Ric Grenell is now president of the USA and you can’t change my mind! https://t.co/8LvrXK6Qco
— Daniel Bostic (@debostic) March 20, 2021
I hereby order multiple desalinization plants to be built in California. And I also hereby order new Nuclear power plants to be built in California. Oh, and Eric Swalwell hereby loses his security clearance. https://t.co/pznALaY8Mo
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 20, 2021
Grenell had a number of roles in the Trump administration, including a brief stint as acting director of national intelligence and as ambassador to Germany between 2018 and 2020. Grenell, who also previously worked in the George W. Bush administration, gained a reputation as a hawk in favor of US action against China, Iran, Syria, and other countries.
Google has previously faced backlash for listing false information taken from Wikipedia in search results, including in 2018 when it listed ‘Nazism’ as the ideology of the California Republican Party.
The incident drew condemnation from then-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Google apologized, blaming the misinformation on Wikipedia. Despite this, Google has not since changed its system to prevent such cases, as is evident from the latest blunder.
Also on rt.com Acting DNI chief Grenell ‘was taking orders’ from Trump when he sought to secure Assange’s arrest, leaked call suggestsLike this story? Share it with a friend!
