Trump: Communities opposing data centers want to be ‘backwards and poor’

President Donald Trump said Monday that communities rejecting AI data centers will suffer economically, The Hill reports. In a Truth Social post, Trump said opposition to data centers reflected a desire to be “backwards and poor,” adding that other places would welcome them instead.

The remarks come as opposition grows nationwide, with a recent Fox News survey showing 70 percent of respondents against local data centers, citing environmental and water-use concerns. Trump warned that killing the “Golden Goose” of AI would only hurt communities themselves, adding that China was pleased by the anti-data center movement.