Topline
President Donald Trump defended the ongoing buildout of AI data centers across the country and said the communities opposing them were making a mistake, as he continued to embrace the controversial buildout of AI infrastructure despite growing public backlash and opposition from governors from both parties.
US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with lifeguard Ryder Williams in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC.
AFP via Getty ImagesKey Facts
In his interview with former fixer Michael Cohen, which aired in full on Sunday evening, Trump claimed the U.S. was “leading China in AI by a lot.”
The president said he was letting the AI companies “build their own power plants” and claimed these data centers were not taking “power from the grid,” which he described as old and “tired.”
Trump said, “Frankly, communities that don’t take a data center are making a mistake,” and claimed that there’s “plenty of communities” that want them.
He argued that data centers will lead to more jobs and “tremendous tax revenue coming into the towns and cities,” and said that the “smart ones” are calling for them to be built in their communities.
Last week, while hosting several crypto industry executives at the White House, the president said he would “absolutely want” a data center in his area if he were given the chance, whether as a mayor of a town or the governor of a state.
What has the Texas Gov. Said About Data Centers?
The president’s comments in support of data centers were aired shortly after Texas’ Republican Gov. Gregg Abbott appeared on ABC News on Sunday morning and said the AI industry, “basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused for them, and that’s why they got the backlash they deserve.” Abbott blasted the companies, saying they did not coordinate with state or local governments. Abbott’s comments are the most serious pushback that data centers and AI companies have faced from a prominent GOP leader—and it echoes similar stances taken by several Democratic Governors.
Tangent
Trump’s remarks about data centers come amid concerns that the growing public opposition to them could negatively impact the Republicans in the midterms. Last week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out an internal memo warning that Democrat Sherrod Brown had made his opposition to data centers the “centerpiece” of his campaign against incumbent Republican Sen. John Husted in Ohio. The memo warned: “More than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck. If he loses and data centers get the blame, politicians across the country will take notice.”