Google’s Most Popular Searches 2017: Trump Didn’t Make List, People Were More Interested In These Hot Topics


Every year, Google compiles a list of the most popular search terms, giving us a look at the people and topics folks were most interested in. It’s easy to understand why people would immediately assume President Trump would be named one of Google’s most popular searches in 2017, but here’s a shocker — he didn’t show up anywhere on the list.

So, what did people want to know about this year, and why didn’t Trump make the list? Here’s a look at what we searched the most by typing in “What is…” or “Who is…” in the Google search bar. Oh, and we’ll address the real reason why the POTUS wasn’t a hot topic in the Google search in 2017.

Hurricanes, sexual harassment, politics, celebrity deaths, mass shootings, Bitcoin, the solar eclipse — these topics made headlines that quickly turned into trending Google searches.

First, let’s address the reason why President Trump is missing from Google’s most searched list this year. According to CNN, Trump was searched frequently in 2017, but because he was searched an equal amount in 2016, his name wasn’t a trending topic.

Although Trump was considered a trending search, people were searching for more information about topics related to politics, including the Paris Climate Agreement, DACA, net neutrality, Antifa, and elections in France, Germany, and the U.K. There is one term directly related to Trump that made it to the top trending searches list on Google this year: covefefe.

“Despite the constant negative press covfefe,” Trump tweeted on May 31, prompting people to search for the answer to one of this year’s most pressing questions, “What is covfefe?” No one really knows, but Politifact states that their best guess is that the POTUS meant “press coverage.”

Covfefe aside, sexual harassment quickly became one of the most talked-about topics of 2017. According to the Washington Post, former Today show co-host Matt Lauer takes the honor for being the most searched person on Google in 2017. Lauer was fired in November after being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.

Lauer wasn’t alone in the trending Google search when it comes to men accused of sexual harassment. While not as often as Lauer, film mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey were frequently “Googled” in 2017.

In addition to Matt Lauer, a massive hurricane that hit Florida in September, the death of an iconic rocker, the Super Bowl, and a mass shooting that left 58 people dead in Las Vegas topped the list of most popular Google searches this year.

Here’s a look at the top 10 Google searches in the United States in 2017, per CBS Boston.

1. Hurricane Irma

2. Matt Lauer

3. Tom Petty

4. Super Bowl

5. Las Vegas Shooting

6. Mayweather vs. McGregor Fight

7. Solar Eclipse

8. Hurricane Harvey

9. Aaron Hernandez

10. Fidget Spinner

Hurricane Irma and Matt Lauer were also in the top 10 on Google’s global most searched list.

1. Hurricane Irma

2. iPhone 8

3. iPhone X

4. Matt Lauer

5. Meghan Markle

6. 13 Reasons Why

7. Tom Petty

8. Fidget Spinner

9. Chester Bennington

10. India National Cricket Team

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