President Trump on Monday said towns that reject big data centers will fumble the “Golden Goose” and end up poor.
The position, outlined on social media, put him firmly in favor of Big Data in the fight over electricity-gobbling facilities needed to operate and train artificial-intelligence programs.
“The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”
The fight over data centers has become a hot topic in the midterm elections.
Many voters balk at the prospect of data centers in their community, saying the facilities use too much power and water, create noise and ugly eyesores on their land, and fail to be the job-creating boon that politicians and Big Tech executives promised.
Opposition to data centers cuts across political lines. Both parties are worried the tradeoffs will not favor local voters.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called for a moratorium on data centers in Ohio until the state passes legislation to put residents first.
Abdul El-Sayed, the far-left Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, held a rally outside a project sponsored by OpenAI and Oracle. It recently broke ground.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and possible presidential contender in 2028, recently signed an executive order to curb wanton development of data centers. It removes all AI data center proposals from the state’s fast-track permitting process and prohibits the use of nondisclosure agreements for data center projects.
Mr. Trump warned that opposition to data centers is short-sighted and will allow rival nations to race ahead in the AI race.
More broadly, the administration has taken a light approach to AI regulation and urged states to stay out of the issue. The benefits of AI, according to Mr. Trump and other supporters, will lead to economic productivity and greater wealth for all Americans, and put the U.S. in a better geopolitical position.
“The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them,” Mr. Trump said. “If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!”
The debate is unlikely to go away.
A Gallup poll from May found seven in 10 Americans oppose the construction of an AI data center in their area.
“Half of opponents mention data centers’ excessive use of resources, including 18% each mentioning their use of water and energy. Sixteen percent mention a related environmental concern of pollution, including noise pollution and air and water pollution,” the pollsters said. “About one in five opponents are concerned with the impact on local quality of life, including increased population, increased traffic and preferring that the land be used for other purposes.”
Vice President J.D. Vance said AI companies can improve their reputations by taking advantage of deregulatory actions from the administration, such as the ability to generate their own electricity.
“If you build a data center, you should be putting power back into the grid, not taking it out,” he told reporters during a Michigan visit. “And if that is happening, I don’t think the data centers are that controversial.”
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