Clip & Save: Trump Says People Are “Begging” to Live Near Data Centers

President Trump thinks that Americans against data centers are being duped by foreign propaganda and that in reality, there are a lot of people who want to live near them.

“Other nations are trying to get us to slow down” regarding data center construction, Trump said at the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday afternoon. “They’re spending a lot of money on propaganda, on press, P.R., trying to convince everybody that this isn’t a positive thing, and if we don’t do this, we’re going to be left behind.”

“You have some communities that really want this, this isn’t all negative stuff, you have communities that really want the data centers, and frankly those are the smart communities because it means a tremendous numbers of jobs, very little actual disruption,” Trump said.
Trump on Data Centers in Communities: Other nations are spending a lot of money on propaganda trying to convince everybody that this isn't a positive thing. You have some communities that really want the data centers. Those are the smart communities. Very little disruption.… pic.twitter.com/i0wrwYj25s
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 23, 2026
Trump made the remarks at an event promoting the White House’s “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” in which states and companies pledge to keep consumers from paying higher electricity bills due to data centers. The plan has supposedly gotten the support of companies such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI, and Amazon, who vowed to pay for increased power costs in areas where data centers are built. The pledge is completely voluntary—and unenforceable.

People who live near data centers complain about the overhaul to their lives, from the drain on water supplies to increased noise and higher utility costs. In most areas where data centers are proposed, local opposition quickly becomes protests that unite the left and the right. The economic benefit that comes with data centers is actually minimal, with most providing only a few dozen on-site jobs. Trump is very much out of touch with how Americans, including many of his supporters, view data centers. ...