President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his support for data centers, warning that communities that reject the projects risk becoming "backwards and poor," even as a growing number of Republicans have backed restrictions, moratoriums and other measures aimed at slowing their expansion and giving local communities a greater role in the approval process. Trump has argued that data centers bring jobs, investment and tax revenue, and has cast the facilities as critical to the United States' competition with China. Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, told MeidasTouch in response to Trump’s post on Monday, “I guess I’m backwards and poor.” Despite Trump’s stance, a growing number of Republican elected officials and candidates have publicly distanced themselves from that position, reflecting mounting voter concerns over rising electricity costs, water consumption, tax incentives and the impact of massive server farms on local communities.
The pushback has come from governors, senators and House members, including some who previously welcomed data center development before calling for new restrictions, moratoriums or stronger local oversight. The divide highlights a potentially emerging fracture inside the Republican Party ahead of the 2026 midterms. While Trump continues to champion rapid AI expansion, many GOP candidates in competitive races have begun embracing restrictions or consumer protections as public opposition to data centers has grown.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Burchett for comment via email on Tuesday. In his Monday post on Truth Social, Trump described data centers as a key driver of future prosperity and warned against what he called the "anti-Data Center movement." Trump's comments come even as polls suggest skepticism about data centers extends to many of his own supporters. An Economist/YouGov poll conducted August 21-24 found that 47 percent of 2024 Trump voters opposed having a new data center built in their community, compared with 35 percent who supported one.
A majority, 52 percent, also said a local data center would likely drive up power bills. Opposition to data centers extends beyond Trump's political base. A Gallup survey conducted in March found that 7 in 10 Americans opposed building a data center in their local area.
Meanwhile, a July Politico poll found 41 percent would oppose a facility within three miles of their home, up from 28 percent in January. Critics have raised concerns about noise, pressure on power grids, rising utility bills and the environmental impact of meeting the industry's growing energy demands. Yet tech giants including Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Google continue racing to build massive facilities to support AI development and cloud services.
A growing number of Republicans have adopted a more skeptical tone toward data centers as public opposition to the facilities has increased nationwide, particularly in the lead-up to the midterm elections. According to an analysis by The Washington Post, GOP officials' public comments on the issue have become significantly more negative over the past six months. The study reviewed thousands of social media posts and newsletters issued by hundreds of politicians from both major parties since April 2024.
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