President Donald Trump is warning that communities trying to block data centers are choosing a future that is, in his words, backwards and poor instead of prosperous and competitive.
According to The Post Millennial, President Trump used his Truth Social platform to deliver a blunt message to local leaders and activists who are attempting to shut out the infrastructure that underpins artificial intelligence and the modern digital economy. He wrote, 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 they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign. The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. 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 cant believe it is happening!
His comments came on the heels of a report from X revealing a large-scale foreign influence effort targeting Americas debate over data centers and energy policy. The platform said that after an internal investigation, they identified a bot farm of approximately 200,000 accounts. Within this farm, we found 200 accounts posting in a manner that could manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and energy policy.
The X report detailed how these suspected Chinese-linked accounts were amplifying talking points now echoed by many antidata center activists in the United States. According to the report, the narratives pushed by the bots included claims that AI data centers are driving up household electricity prices and straining the grid. Others included AI-generated cartoons that depicted data-center operators enriching themselves at the public's expense.
Despite the fact that opposition to data centers has emerged on both the right and the left, President Trump has increasingly positioned himself as a defender of the technology and the economic growth it brings. While some Republicans have joined Democrats in attacking data centers over environmental or energy concerns, Trump has framed the issue as one of national strength, jobs, and resisting foreign manipulation.
His stance put him at odds with Texas Governor Greg Abbott after Abbott announced a pause on industry-wide approvals for new data centers in his state. I saw Texas the other day sort of is against data centers, Trump told Punchbowl News. I think its a mistake. And Im not taking positions, I just think its a mistake, because there are other communities that want it. When a community wants it, it means a lot of money is going to come into that community.
Speaking to reporters earlier in August, the president emphasized that smart siting and private investment can address concerns about strain on the power grid while still delivering major benefits to local taxpayers. If you pick the right location, what it means for a community is jobs and lots of money and lower taxes. The data centers now are mandated by me that they build their own electricity, so they're not taking it from the grid.
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