KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — As Americans went to the poll, it turns out many were actually surprised that President Joe Biden wasn’t on the ballot to seek re-election — even though he dropped out of the race months ago.
Google Trends, search results for “did Joe Biden drop out” peaked this week, and spiked on election day — even though he had already made way, and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris on July 21.
The announcement had come after a presidential debate performance in late June that many saw as equally uninspiring and troubling, with questions about Biden’s mental fitness and ability to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump — with many of his own supporters, donors, and fellow Democratic lawmakers calling for the 81-year-old president to concede the candidacy then.
While the exact number of searches is unknown, the query spiked on Google Trends several times on election day.
Apparently many were actually unaware of the fact Biden was not running. — Screenshot from Google Trends
The search was also seen in other states across the country particularly centered in urban centers, Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania before shifting to trends state by state as the day went on, including in Washington and North Carolina.
