Donald Trump’s forceful backing for artificial-intelligence data centres is putting Republican candidates under growing pressure ahead of the November midterm elections, as polling suggests many voters oppose having the facilities built in their communities.
The president has argued that the projects will bring jobs, investment and tax revenues, while helping the United States win the global race for AI against China. But concerns over electricity bills, water use, noise, pollution and the loss of farmland have created a political backlash that is cutting across party lines.
Trump intensified the dispute on Monday by warning on Truth Social that communities rejecting data centres risked becoming “backwards and poor”. He also said opponents could be responsible for “killing the Golden Goose” and claimed China would welcome the anti-data-centre movement.
The intervention has complicated efforts by Republicans in competitive races to distance themselves from blanket support for the industry. The National Republican Senatorial Committee warned in a memo that opposition to data centres could endanger Senator Jon Husted’s re-election campaign in Ohio, where Democrat Sherrod Brown has branded him the “face of data centres in Ohio”.
The committee described the issue as a “sleeper” concern that had become a serious liability, advising Republicans to support developments only where local communities approve them and the companies pay for the additional power, water and other infrastructure they require.
Polling cited by the Associated Press found that most registered voters oppose a data centre being built in their area. A separate Reuters-Ipsos survey reported that 77 per cent of US adults feared AI facilities would push up electricity costs, while 57 per cent said they would oppose a centre in their community.
Several Republican candidates have responded by calling for tougher controls, even where they previously welcomed investment. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, once a prominent champion of the state’s data-centre expansion, has promised closer scrutiny of projects and the removal of tax incentives. Trump has described that change of direction as a mistake.
Abbott’s office said the governor’s priorities were protecting Texans’ safety and quality of life, as well as the reliability of the state’s power grid and water supply. “Simply put, Texans must come first,” it said.
In Tennessee, Republican congressman Tim Burchett pushed back against Trump’s criticism of opponents, saying: “I guess I’m backwards and poor.” He argued that data centres should be located in places such as military installations and accused the industry of doing too little to explain its plans to the public.
The AI industry is preparing its own political response. Build American AI, an advocacy group linked to the pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future, is planning to spend millions of dollars in battleground states including Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin to promote the economic case for new facilities.
But Republicans face a difficult balance: opposing data centres risks undermining the administration’s ambition to establish US dominance in artificial intelligence, while openly supporting them can expose candidates to anger over household costs and the impact on local communities.
