Trump Says Build Data Centers or Be ‘Backwards and Poor’

You have to admire how Donald J. Trump is not afraid to say the most unpopular thing possible. He did so Monday by attacking the public opposition against data centers.

From the Wall Street Journal:

“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 on social media. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”

“Trump added that blocking data centers will give China the upper hand in the global race to become an AI leader. “China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement,” he said.”

What’s remarkable is how fast data centers are being built.

As World in Data reports: “between 2018 and 2022, spending on building data centers in the US hovered between $500 million and $1 billion per month (when adjusted for inflation).

Build me a nuclear power plant?

How unpopular are data centers?

Americans would rather have a nuclear power plant next door instead of a data center. By a wide margin. Gallup polling found that more than 7 out of 10 people are somewhat or strongly opposed to the building of AI data centers in their area, mostly out of concern for their environmental impact. Compare that to the 5 in 10 that would oppose the construction of a nuclear energy plant in their area. (Then here in southern Idaho we might get to bury the country’s nuclear waste. I bet that’s even more unpopular than data centers.)

One Nevada utility is even firing its customers, telling its customers they should find a new source for their electricity.

“Nearly 50,000 residents of Lake Tahoe, a popular tourist destination in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, have been told their utility company will stop providing them with electricity in 2027. The utility, NV Energy, will instead use that power for data centers in northern Nevada, one of the fastest growing data center corridors in the nation and where Google, Microsoft and Apple have all either built or planned facilities, Fortune reported. Residents have until next May to find a new electric provider.”

Or in another part of Nevada, the Trump administration is using federal land for a data center, stripping the local community of any authority to regulate or determine the project.

From the Bureau of Land Management:

In June 2026, The Bureau of Land Management approved the Townsite Data Center project to construct, operate, and maintain a data center on 88.5 acres of public land in the vicinity of the existing Townsite Solar 1 project. The approval supports federal efforts to accelerate permitting for data center infrastructure and is consistent with Executive Order 14318 Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure.

This project reflects the growing role of public lands in supporting the infrastructure needed to power innovation, advanced technology, and the nation’s future economic growth, while advancing the Bureau’s commitment to responsible stewardship and sustainable use of public lands for current and future generations.

Responsible stewardship is a phrase that’s said, but never meant. Especially if that involves actually listening to folks about a proposal before it becomes a done deal.

Then in Trump World, it’s always the attack. There’s no compelling reason to debate, or have a back-and-forth conversation, about if, where or when to build data centers. Consensus? No. It’s do it or else!

I do see a potential way forward for data centers. Three things: Get rid of the nondisclosure agreements (especially for public officials); create rules so that data centers are sustainable and transparent with their water and power useage; and third, pay enough fees and taxes over time to make it worthwhile for the community.

One more: Play by the damn rules, go through the process, explain what you are doing, and build consensus. That strategy would work far better than blasting opponents and forcing communities to bow and accept a secret deal.

Or the industry could bank on Trump and continue picking a fight with 7 out of 10 of us.