Trump says datacenter opponents ‘want to end up being backwards and poor’

Donald Trump has criticized communities pushing back against datacenter projects across the US amid a growing backlash, warning those that reject them risk becoming “backwards and poor”.As controversy surrounding local datacenter plans continues to swirl around election campaigns nationwide ahead of November’s midterm elections, the US president declared Americans “will only have yourselves to blame” if they are canceled.Bipartisan opposition to datacenter expansion has intensified across the US, particularly in states with ample land, low-cost power and generous tax incentives, as local communities raise concerns over environmental impacts, soaring utility costs and noise pollution.According to a recent poll, three-quarters of Americans said they would oppose a datacenter being built next to their homes, while more than six in 10 Americans said they would strongly oppose such a proposal.In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump wrote: “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. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.“The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!”Responding to Trump’s statement on Monday, JD Vance told reporters that datacenters were an “important part of the AI economy”, adding: “When people build them, they have to build the power plants along with the datacenters. I think probably 99% of the backlash to datacenters has come in areas where building a datacenter means higher utility and higher electricity for the people on the ground.“I think what these companies have to do is take advantage of some of the federal deregulatory efforts that we’ve undertaken,” the US vice-president added. “If you build a datacenter, you should be putting power back into the grid, not taking it out. And if that is happening, I don’t think the datacenters are that controversial. It’s when the utility bills get so much higher that’s when it’s a real problem.”However, several users replied to Trump’s post on his own Truth Social platform, voicing their concerns about datacenters.“Mr. President: Think about farm land and about water resources, and a man as intelligent as you will see that the absolute position you are taking is flawed,” one user wrote. “What use is being rich if you cannot get access to water and food?”As opposition to datacenters grows, the research group Data Center Watch found that grassroots groups blocked or delayed at least 75 datacenter projects worth approximately $130bn in the first three months of 2026.Monterey Park, a small city east of Los Angeles, is among the local communities that have pushed back against datacenters and won. Other communities successful in their resistance include Prince William county, Virginia, as well as Wake county, North Carolina.Environmental groups have also weighed in, with a coalition of more than 230 organizations urging members of Congress last year to halt the development of new datacenters amid the climate crisis, worsening droughts in already water-stressed areas, and rising electricity bills.