Trump slams data center critics, says opposition could leave communities ‘backwards and poor’

President Donald Trump openly mocked people pushing against data centers, warning that communities could "end up being backwards and poor."

On Monday, in a Truth Social post, the president pushed back against criticism of data centers as people say they have concerns about the large amounts of electricity and water required to operate them. Data centers provide the infrastructure needed to scale AI, storing enormous amounts of data and supplying the computing power necessary to develop and run AI.

"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 said. "If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign."

The number of AI data centers in the U.S. has ballooned over the past few years and now has over 5,400 centers, more than any other country, according to a report by Stanford University's AI Index 2026.

But as AI data centers have expanded, so have concerns about their impact on local communities.

Seven in 10 Americans say they oppose the construction of AI data centers in their communities, with almost half strongly opposing them and just 7% strongly in favor, according to a poll conducted by Gallup in March. Many of those concerns stemmed from the increased use of water and energy, while others polled raised concerns about noise, water and air pollution, according to the study.

The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is also taking place amid a broader global competition for advanced chips, computing power and data-center capacity, particularly between the U.S. and China. The U.S. is still at an advantage, but China is advancing quickly through taking advantage of improving efficiencies and prioritizing adoption, said Kyle Chan, research fellow at the Brookings Institution, before a House committee in April.

On Monday, Trump alluded to the U.S.'s competition with China in his social media post.

"The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them," Trump said. "If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement."