Trump: Data Centers Are Boon to Communities
President Donald Trump has called on American communities to welcome data centers, arguing that resisting the facilities could cost the nation jobs, tax revenue and economic growth while giving China a competitive advantage. In a post published on Monday on his Truth Social account, Trump warned that municipalities that refuse to host large‑scale data centers could lose investment to other parts of the country and that Beijing would benefit from the anti‑data‑center movement.
“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,” Trump wrote. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” he added. “If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame.” Trump also noted that China would be pleased by the backlash, saying, “China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!”
The former president’s comments come amid a growing wave of resistance to data‑center projects across the country. Residents and elected officials have cited the facilities’ high electricity and water demands, rising utility bills, noise, and land‑use concerns as reasons for opposition. As a result, dozens of cities and counties have paused or restricted new data‑center development, and lawmakers in 15 states have considered moratoria on new projects.
New York became the first state to impose a statewide pause on large‑facility permits. In July, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a one‑year halt on new data‑center approvals while the state works to establish new rules aimed at protecting the power grid, natural resources, and ratepayers.
The debate has turned into a political issue ahead of the midterm elections. Opposition to data centers has crossed party lines, with some construction unions and industry groups defending the projects as sources of high‑paying jobs, investment, and local tax revenue. Trump has made expanding America’s artificial‑intelligence infrastructure a priority, insisting that the United States must rapidly increase its computing and energy capacity to maintain a technological edge over China.
