Google’s 2025 Year in Search report, which tracks the trending searches, shows that the assassination of Charlie Kirk was the top trending search in the United States. Globally, the list was dominated by pop culture, with the Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” and the collectable Labubu dolls ranking second and third. 

Political events like the record-breaking government shutdown, the signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and new tariffs also generated immense public interest, alongside the trending searches for political figures Zohran Mamdani and Erika Kirk.

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Top trending global searches in the USA of 2025

Political & Legislative Events

  • Charlie Kirk: The assassination of Charlie Kirk, co-founder of the U.S. organisation Turning Point USA, garnered widespread headline coverage around the world.
  • One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA): Signed into U.S. law on July 4, 2025, this sweeping budget reconciliation legislation introduced significant changes to federal tax, spending, and policy across numerous sectors.
  • Zohran Mamdani: He became a major news figure by winning the 2025 New York City mayoral election, making him the city’s first Muslim, first Asian American/South Asian-origin, and youngest mayor in over a century.
  • Government Shutdown: The U.S. federal government underwent a 43-day shutdown, lasting from October 1 to November 12, 2025, because Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year.
  • Tariffs: Tariffs dominated global news primarily due to the United States’ aggressive implementation of steep new duties on imports from nearly all trading partners, with a particularly significant impact on India and China.
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Technology & Products

  • DeepSeek: The Chinese AI startup made headlines by releasing its R1 reasoning model and its new V3.2 and V3.2-Special models. DeepSeek claimed these models offer performance on par with state-of-the-art models like GPT-5 and Gemini 3 Pro, while being kept accessible and low-cost under an open-source license.
  • iPhone 17: The iPhone 17 series was a major news topic due to its strong performance, which contributed to a historic market moment for Apple. The phone also generated headlines for its features, such as the inclusion of 120Hz ProMotion displays and 48MP cameras across the entire lineup.

Pop Culture & Sports

  • K-Pop Demon Hunters: This animated film achieved global commercial success and completely dominated YouTube Korea’s 2025 Year-End Review lists, topping the charts for popular topics, songs, and Shorts.
  • Labubu: These collectable dolls, created by Kasing Lung and sold by Pop Mart in blind boxes, gained international fame after being adopted as a luxury accessory by celebrities like BLACKPINK’s Lisa, driving a massive surge in demand among Gen Z and adult collectors.
  • FIFA Club World Cup: The FIFA World Cup was heavily in the news throughout 2025 due to three major concurrent events: the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualification matches, and the Final Draw for the 2026 tournament.