Trump Defends Rapid Data Center Expansion Amid Backlash Over Power Use

President Trump has reiterated his support for rapidly expanding data centers, the critical computing infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence (AI).

However, the data center rollout has sparked a nationwide backlash over concerns about electricity consumption and the potential impact on local communities.

Data Centers Become Political Issue Ahead of Midterms

Data center construction has also emerged as a potential political hurdle for President Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November.

Research conducted by Marist Poll in partnership with NPR and PBS News, external earlier this month found that 65% of registered voters oppose data centers being built in their area.

In response to those concerns, Trump said technology companies would work to make people “comfortable” with data center construction.

“These big, powerful, very wealthy, very smart companies are going to make tremendous contributions to their communities,” Trump told reporters.

Trump previously said on social media that the only reason U.S. communities should oppose data centers is if they “want to end up being backward and poor.”

“The good news is there are many other places that want them. If we kill the golden goose, you will only have yourself to blame,” he said.

Nvidia CEO Calls Data Centers “Superintelligence Factories”

After the meeting, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said data centers should be called “superintelligence factories.” Nvidia makes the computer chips essential to running AI.

These facilities are “reindustrializing America” and creating jobs throughout the economy, Huang added.