Trump slams opposition to data centers: 'China could not be happier'
Trump slams opposition to data centers: 'China could not be happier'
Joey Garrison, USA TODAYMon, August 31, 2026 at 4:13 PM UTC
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said American communities should accept data centers unless they want to be "backwards and poor" and warned "China could not be happier" as the massive facilities that power artificial intelligence face a bipartisan backlash across the country.
Trump, who has stood firmly behind data centers amid growing public resistance, gave one of his most vigorous defenses of the facilities in an Aug. 31 Truth Social post that called out places opposing new data centers.
"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," Trump said.
"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 can’t believe it is happening!" he added.
More: Trump keeps touting data centers as Republicans try to pivot
Trump's continued defense of data centers comes as the rapid expansion of them has quickly become one of the defining issues of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
Once hailed by politicians in both parties as economic engines and job-producing boons, Democratic candidates and increasingly more Republicans have turned sharply against the facilities in their messaging as the public backlash intensifies over their enormous size, staggering energy consumption, noise and lack of direct benefits to the surrounding neighborhoods.
In a rare moment of unity, Americans are fighting Big Tech together
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Trump's outspoken backing of data centers is at odds with several Republicans on the midterm campaign trail including Texas Senate Republican nominee Ken Paxton, who endorsed Gov. Greg Abbott's moratorium on new data centers, and Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee of governor in Wisconsin, who has attacked his Democratic opponent, David Crowley, over data centers.
Data centers, which house networks and services for digital information and services, are proving to be the rare issue that cuts through party lines. A Gallup poll conducted in March found 71% of Americans oppose the construction of data centers in their areas ‒ including 75% of Democratic voters, 63% of Republican voters and 74% of independents.
More: 23 governors sign Trump's cost pledge for data centers, backbone of AI
Yet Trump, who is aligned politically with several tech industry CEOs, has remained a booster of data centers in the face of widespread opposition, arguing the facilities are critical for the United States to compete with China in AI innovation. Trump has called Abbott's freeze on data centers in Texas "a mistake."
To address one concern of critics, Trump has said he wants data centers to build their own dedicated power stations, which is part of a Ratepayer Protection Pledge that several tech companies and governors signed after the president introduced it this year. However, the industry-friendly pledge is not binding and does not mandate any actions.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This story has been to add new information.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump slams opposition to data centers: 'China could not be happier'
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