In an interview with Bloomberg News, former President Donald Trump said he recently contacted Google CEO Sundar Pichai to complain about search results bearing his name, saying the tech company was removing information positive about it.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Economic Club of Chicago on October 15, Trump told Bloomberg News editor John Micklethwait that he called “the head of Google the other day” to express frustration with the search results. .

“I’m getting a lot of good stories lately, but you can’t find them on Google,” Trump told Pichai. “I think this is a completely rigged deal. I think Google is rigged just like our government is rigged.”

“They only have bad stories. In other words, if I have 20 good stories and 20 bad stories, and everyone gets one, you only see the 20 bad stories,” he said. -he declared to Micklethwait.

The former president’s comments highlight his ongoing contentious relationship with big tech companies and his perception of how they handle information about him. Trump has long accused tech giants of bias against him and conservative views, a claim that has resonated with his base but has been repeatedly denied by the companies.

In August, Trump said Google would “pay a heavy price” after allegations surfaced that the tech giant allowed the Harris-Walz campaign to use altered headlines from various publications in paid Google ads. In 2017, before being banned from Twitter (now X), Trump suggested there was “collusion” between Facebook and major media outlets, tweeting: “Facebook has always been anti-Trump.”

Trump’s criticism of Google goes beyond personal grievances. When Micklethwait asked about the possibility of breaking up Alphabet, Google’s parent company, Trump responded: “Google has a lot of power. They’re very bad to me, very, very bad to me.” However, he did not explicitly call for the company to be dissolved, but instead said, “I will do something.”

News week contacted Google and Trump for comment via email.

The former president’s comments come as big tech companies face increased scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle. The Justice Department and several state attorneys general have filed antitrust lawsuits against Google, focusing on its dominance in the search and digital advertising markets.

Despite his criticism, Trump acknowledged Google’s success, saying: “I give them a lot of credit. They’ve become such a power. They’re such a power. You have to give them credit for that.” He also expressed concern about the continued American technological dominance, particularly in relation to China.

“Right now, China is afraid of Google,” he added.

Trump’s stance on another tech platform, TikTok, appears to have softened since his time in office. Asked about his current position regarding the Chinese app, which he had previously threatened to ban, Trump was more ambivalent.

He said, regarding the action against TikTok, that he initially “did everything” but ultimately left the decision to Congress. Trump acknowledged the “real First Amendment issues” associated with banning the app, suggesting a more nuanced view of the complexities of regulating foreign tech platforms.

The conversation then turned to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who Trump said could play a role in his plans for the tech sector if he wins the presidency. Asked about rumors that he might put Musk in charge of overseeing deregulation efforts in the tech sector, Trump replied: “Not deregulation, but cuts.” He added: “Cuts, which would imply deregulation.”