Donald Trump's support for the construction of artificial intelligence data centers creates additional political risks for the Republican Party. Bloomberg reports this, according to UNN.
Details
Over the past several months, political strategists warned administration officials that they risk losing the public-opinion battle over data centers, according to people familiar with the matter. Recent polls showed that about seven in ten Americans do not want these facilities built near them, while Democratic candidates have sought to outmaneuver their Republican opponents by linking the rapid growth of artificial intelligence infrastructure to voters' concerns about the cost of living
Instead, U.S. President Donald Trump continues to support the development of AI and considers it important for "defeating China."
If you want to pay lower taxes, if you want to create enormous wealth, if you want your house to be more valuable and everything else, you will need a data center
If you want to get through poverty, crime and squalor, I would say, don't approve data centers
However, according to sources who were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, administration officials were advised that the president needed to focus more on the benefits of artificial intelligence, particularly for voters whose jobs could be at risk
Nevertheless, according to the publication, instead of changing his approach, Trump doubled down on his position, stating on social media this week that the only reason communities would oppose data centers is if they want to be "backward and poor," and urging the public to "let data reign." On Friday, the president strengthened his argument by presenting it as a choice for local communities.
In addition, because of the unpopularity of data centers, some Republican candidates are already changing their positions. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown aired television ads criticizing Republican Senator Jon Husted as the "face of data centers" because of his past support for tax breaks for their construction.
Even in Texas, Republicans, including Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, have broken with Trump. Abbott imposed a temporary moratorium, while Paxton, the party's Senate candidate, proposed his own plan in recent weeks. This shift led to accusations of changing course from Paxton's well-funded opponent, Democrat James Talarico. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, also recently called for a one-year moratorium on data centers in his state after facing criticism from Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who called for new standards for them
According to available information, all three states that Trump won in 2024 are now considered competitive, and their results could affect control of the Senate.
If Democrats gain a majority in Congress, it would hinder the president's political agenda and expose him and his administration to new investigations
Recall
OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank announced the creation of five new artificial intelligence data centers in the United States as part of the Stargate project. The project entails investments of more than $400 billion over three years and the creation of 25,000 jobs.