Trump Criticizes Opposition to AI Data Centers as Backwards

President Donald Trump sharply criticized growing opposition to artificial intelligence data centers on Monday, warning that communities rejecting the facilities risk becoming "backwards and poor." In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump defended the energy-intensive projects as essential for economic success and national security, framing the backlash as a gift to geopolitical rival China. "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 that if the country kills the "Golden Goose," "you will only have yourselves to blame." The president's comments come as opposition to data centers has become a significant and bipartisan issue ahead of the November midterm elections. Polls consistently show a majority of Americans oppose building the facilities in their communities, citing concerns about rising electricity costs, noise, and strain on local resources like water.