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President Donald Trump touted his growing influence over Big Tech, saying Alphabet Inc.’s Google is more responsive to him during his second term, hours before dining with Sergey Brin.
Trump Boasts of Google’s Changing Attitude
Speaking at a rally in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on Saturday, Trump highlighted his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America as an example of his increased political clout, The Verge reported.
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“This is a much more powerful term. I can do stuff that’s unbelievable … I called Google, Google Maps. See, Google wouldn’t have taken my call in the first term. Now they kiss my ***,” Trump said.
However, Google has said its Maps naming decisions follow official government sources, including the U.S. Geographic Names Information System and reflect its longstanding policy for geographical features whose names differ across countries.
Google did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Sergey Brin Dines With Trump Amid Wealth Tax Fight
Hours after Trump’s remarks, Brin was photographed alongside the president at a MAGA Inc. dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Reuters reported.
The dinner came as Brin, whose fortune Forbes estimated at $257.1 billion, faces criticism for financially backing efforts to defeat California’s proposed one-time 5% billionaire wealth tax, identified in the reporting as Proposition 40.
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Bernie Sanders Slams Brin Over $138 Million Donation
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) criticized Brin in a post on X, questioning the billionaire’s priorities after his appearance at the Trump dinner.
“When Sergey Brin, the 4th richest man alive, isn’t dining with Trump, what’s he doing?” Sanders wrote.
“He’s spending $138 million against California’s 5% billionaire wealth tax,” he added.
Sanders further accused Brin of prioritizing his wealth over working-class families’ access to health care, calling the situation “Obscene.”
Brin did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Opponents of the proposed tax have raised more than $340 million and the campaign spent over $1 million daily during the first half of September, according to The Guardian.
Brin has previously argued that the wealth tax could harm California’s economy, comparing it to the socialism his family experienced before emigrating from the Soviet Union in 1979.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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