The big picture: President Trump has strongly defended the rapid expansion of data centers across the US amid growing bipartisan backlash. Speaking to his former lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, during an interview aired on Sunday, Trump said that communities opposing the construction of new data centers are "making a mistake."
Explaining the reason for his support despite strong opposition from members of his own party, Trump insisted that data centers are beneficial because they create "tremendous amounts of jobs and money." He added that people opposed to new data centers are making a mistake because the original concerns about excessive power consumption are no longer valid.
According to Trump, new data centers no longer draw power from the grid because tech companies are building their own power plants following the signing of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which requires new AI data centers to source their own power rather than draw from existing grids.
"They're making their own power plants. They're building the most beautiful (power plants), you've never seen power plants like this," Trump said during the interview. He added that the US was leading China in AI "by a lot," and that new data centers are essential to America's continued leadership in the sector.
While Trump has thrown his weight behind AI data centers in no uncertain terms, many of his ardent supporters and MAGA Republicans, including Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Michigan US Senate candidate Mike Rogers, are openly breaking with him on the issue ahead of the November elections.
Ramaswamy recently unveiled an "Ohioans-First" pledge that would impose a moratorium on data centers in the state unless the companies behind the projects can guarantee local residents relief from property taxes. Rogers also announced support for an initiative that would prevent the construction of new data centers until concerns raised by local communities are addressed.
The latest GOP politician to speak out against data centers is Texas Governor and longtime Trump supporter Greg Abbott, who said that data center companies had "dug their own grave" and deserve the backlash they are facing because they moved into rural communities and small towns without consulting residents or gaining their support.
This marks a massive U-turn for Abbott, who rolled out the red carpet for Google CEO Sundar Pichai last November as he announced plans to build three data center campuses across Texas for an estimated $40 billion. Abbott also took credit for bringing AI data centers to the state, calling Texas the "epicenter of AI development" in the US.
According to an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey published last month, 61% of Americans oppose the construction of new data centers in their area, up from 49% in March. The survey also found that opposition cuts across party lines, with 69% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans supporting a moratorium on new data centers in their localities.