Debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden prompts Americans to Google 'move to Canada'

The fractious first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden prompted huge numbers of Americans to turn to Google and ask for advice on how to move to Canada.

Google Trends, the tech giant's popularity monitor, revealed that the queries "move to Canada" and "how to move to Canada" soared in popularity in the immediate aftermath of the 90-minute showdown.

The US state of Massachusetts recorded the highest number of searches relating to obtaining a Canadian passport.

The search for “how to apply for Canadian citizenship” peaked roughly an hour into the debate, TechTimes reported.

Another ominous search term, "relocation", also saw increased usage in the period across other areas, including the District of Columbia, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, and Alaska.

The event, held in Cleveland, Ohio, saw the rival candidates attack and interrupt each other as they sparred over the coronavirus pandemic, job losses and the Supreme Court.

Debate moderator Chris Wallace, an anchor at Fox News, has been criticised for not reigning in either candidate.

A CBS poll, conducted immediately after the debate, found that 48 per cent of people believed Mr Biden won.

Mr Trump was close behind, with 41 per cent of respondents showing support for the President’s performance.

However, CBS News also found that the overarching reaction was one of general annoyance.

The poll showed that 69 per cent found the debate "annoying" and just 17 per cent found it "informative".

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