‘Move to Canada’ searches spike during U.S. presidential debate

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Google searches for “move to Canada” jumped as some Americans mulled the idea of leaving the U.S. soon after the chaotic presidential debate on Tuesday.

How to apply for Canadian citizenship” also skyrocketed among searches about an hour into the yelling match between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, peaking around 7:30 p.m. PT, according to Google.

That search was most popular in the state of Massachusetts, followed by Michigan and Ohio, where the debate took place.

“How to move to Canada” was also a popular search, while “move to Canada” was trending on Twitter, with many posts of a non-serious nature.

The debate has been described as everything from train wreck, to chaotic, tumultuous, bitter, heated, dumpster fire and a hot mess. And those are the polite descriptions. The debate has been condemned by many and it’s fuelling speculation about whether the other two debates should be allowed to go ahead.

Trump spent most of the night interrupting and badgering both Democratic challenger Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace, who’s a host on Fox News. The overall result, ended up being simultaneous shouting and personal insults that many observers agree did little to help American voters or enlighten those who are undecided.

Both the Trump and Biden camps say they are willing to continue with the debates and the Commission on Presidential Debates has not said if any changes are planned.

https://twitter.com/brehelms_/status/1311114499160768512

Some Canadians weren’t so supportive of Americans moving north.

“Sorry, we’ve built a wall on our southern border,” joked one.

It wasn’t the first time online activity involved Americans wanting to move to Canada.

Over the summer, immigration lawyers on both sides of the B.C. border received inquiries about Americans wanting to move to Canada because of COVID-19 were higher in the U.S.

Tuesday’s debate was the first of three between Trump and Biden. The next one is Oct. 15 in Miami.

The vice-presidential debate between Republican candidate Mike Pence and Kamala Harris is set for Oct. 7 in Utah.

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