President Donald Trump said it is "OK with me" if Republicans oppose data centers, even as he identifies them as essential to American technological competition with China.
Trump made the remarks on Aug. 21, addressing a bipartisan political fault line. He argued that communities should welcome data centers, saying they generate jobs, income and lower taxes. "I want them to do what they want. Some people feel differently," he said of Republican candidates.
Data centers house the servers and networking equipment that power artificial intelligence and other digital services. Their construction has sparked widespread criticism across the nation, leading some states and local governments to implement new rules.
Industry advocates contend data centers are essential for technological innovation. Environmentalists and other critics argue the facilities consume substantial amounts of water and energy, produce noise and electronic waste, and create relatively few long-term jobs.
Trump has publicly criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's moratorium blocking data center development in the state. He has also announced that 23 governors have signed his pledge, which aims to require data centers to generate their own electricity rather than pass costs to households.
"They are going to build their own electric producing facilities, and that electricity that they have left over is going to the grid," Trump said on Aug. 21.
His comments followed a White House meeting with prominent cryptocurrency industry figures. Trump reiterated his support, saying: "If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous."
He stressed the necessity of embracing the technology, telling Americans: "You can't fight it. You have to go with it."
Yet Trump affirmed his acceptance of Republican dissent. "If a Republican's against the data center, that's OK with me," he said. "If I ran a community, if I was a mayor or if I was a governor of a state, I would want to have the data centers because they bring tremendous income."
The President's flexibility comes after a Republican campaign group reportedly cautioned AI companies that new facilities could hurt GOP prospects in a key Senate battleground, underscoring the political tensions surrounding a technology he otherwise champions.
