Trump Warns Against Opposition to Data Centers, Saying It Will Leave Communities "Backward and Poor"

[Financial News]  

U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized the backlash facing the artificial intelligence (AI) data center construction boom on the 31st of last month, local time. He warned that those who do not go with the trend will only end up backward and poor. Even as resistance grows within the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections, Trump moved to confront the backlash head-on.
On his social media platform Truth Social that day, Trump mocked local communities in the United States, saying, "The only reason local communities in America would not want data centers is because they want to stay backward and poor." He added, "If you do not want to succeed, get rich, and enjoy far lower taxes and jobs flooding across the country, then go ahead and regulate data."

The Financial Times (FT) reported that Trump intervened through social media on a day when he had an event scheduled with Vice President JD Vance in Michigan, where both Democratic and Republican Senate candidates have taken a negative view of AI data center construction.
Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate backed by Trump, also proposed suspending data center projects across the state for one year.
Trump’s remarks that day were his most direct response yet to the backlash against AI data center construction. Not only Democrats but also Republicans have recently been calling for new data center projects to be paused, audited, or banned.
Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, had previously been an enthusiastic supporter of data center development, but in August he effectively halted hundreds of projects underway in the state.
Byron Donalds, a Republican running for governor of Florida, also reversed his earlier welcoming stance and turned against the projects.
Republican campaign strategists believe the data center issue is becoming a liability. Internal polling shows the projects are deeply unpopular and are increasingly seen as a symbol of growing public anxiety over Big Tech’s expanding influence, higher electricity bills, and the fallout from AI.

Vice President Vance said the backlash appears to stem from complaints about rising electricity bills. He said that perhaps "99% of the backlash against data centers" came from higher power costs in nearby communities, and that if developers solved that problem, "data centers would not be nearly as controversial."
Trump’s move to defuse the backlash reflects concern that his own economic achievements are at risk. AI-related investment has been driving U.S. economic growth and helping offset the impact of higher oil prices triggered by the Iran war he initiated, but he fears those gains could be overshadowed by public opposition.
On Truth Social, Trump warned, "If you kill the golden goose, you will end up hurting yourself." He also repeated the argument made by Big Tech executives that slowing the pace of data center expansion would allow China to seize the lead in AI.

As Trump himself said data centers need "help with public relations," Big Tech is also moving quickly. On the same day, it launched a major political fundraising push to blunt the midterm backlash.
Leading the effort is the Super PAC Leading the Future, which has raised more than $75 million from AI billionaires and Big Tech firms, including Silicon Valley venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, as well as OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman. The group said candidates who support data center construction in this midterm election will receive millions of dollars in backing.
[email protected] Song Kyung-jae Reporter