Trump Warns Data Center Opposition Leads to Poverty

President Donald Trump criticized opposition to artificial intelligence data centers, stating that communities rejecting them want to end up being backwards and poor.

He asserted that embracing data centers would lead to success, wealth, lower taxes, and job creation. Trump made these remarks on his Truth Social platform, suggesting that rival China would be pleased by the growing backlash against these facilities in the U.S. Data centers have emerged as an issue in the upcoming November midterm elections, with concerns raised by both Democrats and Republicans regarding energy consumption and noise pollution.

Research group Data Centre Watch reported that 75 data center projects, valued at approximately $130 billion, were canceled in the first three months of 2026. A poll by Heatmap Pro indicated that three-quarters of Americans oppose data centers. Opposition spans the political spectrum, with figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling for a national moratorium, and Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas and Senate candidate Mike Rogers of Michigan also expressing opposition.

Conversely, a poll by The Economist and YouGov found that 45% of Republicans identifying as Maga view building data centers as positive, while 29% consider it negative. US candidates in at least 21 races across 18 states have featured data centers in television advertisements during this election cycle, with the messaging nearly evenly divided between parties.