Trump champions data centers despite public opposition and political risks

A majority of Americans have concerns about data centers cropping up across the country, and the opposition among lawmakers spans party lines.

But the industry has found a champion in President Donald Trump, who has hailed the colossal computing facilities as the “golden goose,” despite being shown unfavorable polling among voters on the issue, according to a new report.

Last week, Trump said that if he were a town mayor, he would “absolutely” welcome an “AI plant or data center,” citing what he described as enormous job opportunities.

On Monday, he struck a harsher tone.

“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... If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame,” he posted on Truth Social.

Trump’s advocacy reflects several calculations: his view that the U.S. must outpace China in artificial intelligence and his belief that data center construction is helping sustain the economy, Politico reported.

At the same time, he’s trying to reshape the narrative on an issue that has become a political liability ahead of the November midterms.

The scale of this liability is illustrated by recent polling. In a May Gallup survey, 70 percent of Americans said they opposed the construction of AI data centers in their community.

In a YouGov survey released this week, 51 percent of respondents said building data centers is bad for the country, while 20 percent described it as good. Concerns range from water usage to higher energy bills — with the government estimating 12 percent of all electricity could be used to power the centers by 2028.

The president himself is aware of the polling, Politico reported.

“He looks at the polling. He looks at what people are saying,” an unnamed senior White House official told the outlet. “Polling isn’t necessarily great on data centers, but it’s incumbent upon us to explain our position. I think that’s part of what he was trying to do.”

“President Trump’s bold leadership is turning data centers into engines of growth and opportunity for communities across the country that want them, all while cementing America’s dominance over China in the global AI race,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told The Independent. “By requiring data centers to pay for their own power, water, and utilities, the President has ensured the American people never foot the bill for private companies’ profits. President Trump will continue leveraging the data center boom to deliver real benefits for working families and small businesses.”

Trump’s rhetoric is also aimed at bolstering Republicans ahead of the elections, given some GOP candidates have embraced data center development.

“Data centers are a big topic of conversation when it comes to the midterms, when it comes to what people are concerned about, so he’s not going to shy away from letting everyone know exactly how he feels,” the official said.

But a number of Republicans have sought to distance themselves from the issue, including Michigan’s Mike Rogers and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, unveiled a plan that would impose restrictions on data centers last month.

Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett even took a shot directly at Trump. After the president’s post slamming data center critics as misguided, Burchett said: “I guess I’m backwards and poor.”

Democrats, too, seized on the line. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said: “Let’s put a data center up in Mar-a-Lago, and we’ll see how backwards and poor he is in response to that.”

The president’s calculation also reflects the potential economic impact of data centers in the U.S.

“Trump is married to data centers no matter what because it’s the only real job creator,” a former Trump administration official told Politico.

Investment in AI has reached extraordinary levels, much of it directed toward building enormous data centers equipped with complex computing hardware and cooling technology. By one estimate, the broader expansion of AI infrastructure could draw about $8 trillion in spending over the next six years.

To date, the U.S. has over 4,000 data centers, more than any other nation. In Texas, an Oracle AI data center under construction is set to span four million square feet.

Whatever calculations may be at play, Trump’s views are “very sincere,” a source close to the White House said, adding: “And he’s seen the polling.