Searches about moving to New Zealand have surged in the United States as Jon Stewart joked on The Daily Show he needed to call a real estate agent Downunder in response to the first presidential debate.  

US President Joe Biden’s performance in a TV debate against former president Donald Trump has been described as disastrous.  

Google Trends has shown a massive spike in searches on how to move to New Zealand. 

This combination of photos shows US President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, during a presidential debate hosted by CNN yesterday in Atlanta. Photo / AP 

In response to a clip of Biden fumbling through a sentence that didn’t make sense about “beating” Medicare, Stewart joked: “I need to call a real estate agent in New Zealand.” 

“Okay, a high-pressure situation!” he said. 

“A lot of times you can confuse saving Medicare with … beating it. I’m sure it’s not something that repeated throughout the debate, causing Democrats across the country to either jump out of windows or vomit silently into the nearest recycling bin. Anybody can f*** up talking.” 

A screenshot on Google Trends captured the rise in Google searches relating to New Zealand. Image / Google 

A screenshot on Google Trends captured the rise in Google searches specifically relating to immigration to New Zealand. Image / Google 

Biden’s halting delivery and meandering comments, particularly early in the debate, fuelled concerns from even members of his own party that at age 81 he’s not up for the task of leading the country for another four years, AP has reported. 

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It created a crisis moment for Biden’s campaign and his presidency, as members of his party flirted with the idea of potential replacements, and donors and supporters couldn’t contain their concern about his showing against Trump. 

Biden appeared to acknowledge the criticism during a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, saying, “I know I’m not a young man. To state the obvious”, AP reported. 

Even before the debate, Biden’s age had been a liability with voters, and yesterday’s face-off appeared to reinforce the public’s deep-seated concerns before perhaps the largest audience he will garner in the four months until Election Day. 

It’s not the first time these Google searches have spiked. 

Just 20 minutes into the “chaotic” and “s***show” September 2020 debate between Trump and Biden, Google Trends showed a substantial rise in the search “how to move to New Zealand”. 

Google Trends searches are ranked between 0 and 100, with 0 meaning not enough data and 100 indicating peak popularity. 

In the past, celebrities have also threatened to leave the US if Donald Trump was re-elected for another four years. 

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Bruce Springsteen, Ricky Martin and Tommy Lee are a few who have said they would move.