List of Republicans Publicly Breaking With Trump on AI Data Centers
Newsweek · C · trust 64/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his support for data centers, warning that communities that reject the projects risk becoming "backwards and poor," even as a growing number of Republicans have backed restrictions, moratoriums and other measures aimed at slowing their expansion and giving local communities a greater role in the approval process.
Trump has argued that data centers bring jobs, investment and tax revenue, and has cast the facilities as critical to the United States' competition with China. Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, told MeidasTouch in response to Trump’s post on Monday: “I guess I’m backwards and poor.”
Despite Trump’s stance, a growing number of Republican elected officials and candidates have publicly distanced themselves from that position, reflecting mounting voter concerns over rising electricity costs, water consumption, tax incentives and the impact of massive server farms on local communities. The pushback has come from governors, senators and House members, including some who previously welcomed data center development before calling for new restrictions, moratoriums or stronger local oversight.
The divide highlights a potentially emerging fracture inside the Republican Party ahead of the 2026 midterms. While Trump continues to champion rapid AI expansion, many GOP candidates in competitive races have begun embracing restrictions or consumer protections as public opposition to data centers has grown.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Burchett for comment via email on Tuesday.
In his Monday post on Truth Social , Trump described data centers as a key driver of future prosperity and warned against what he called the "anti-Data Center movement."
Trump's comments come even as p olls suggest skepticism about data centers extends to many of his own supporters. An Economist/YouGov poll conducted August 21-24 found that 47 percent of 2024 Trump voters opposed having a new data center built in their community, compared with 35 percent who supported one. A majority, 52 percent, also said a local data center would likely drive up power bills.
Opposition to data centers extends beyond Trump's political base. A Gallup survey conducted in March found that 7 in 10 Americans opposed building a data center in their local area. Meanwhile, a July Politico poll found 41 percent would oppose a facility within three miles of their home, up from 28 percent in January.
Critics have raised concerns about noise, pressure on power grids, rising utility bills and the environmental impact of meeting the industry's growing energy demands. Yet tech giants including Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Google continue racing to build massive facilities to support AI development and cloud services.
Related Story What It’s Really Like to Live Next to a Data Center A growing number of Republicans have adopted a more skeptical tone toward data centers as public opposition to the facilities has increased nationwide, particularly in the lead-up to the midterm elections. According to an analysis by The Washington Post , GOP officials' public comments on the issue have become significantly more negative over the past six months. The study reviewed thousands of social media posts and newsletters issued by hundreds of politicians from both major parties since April 2024.
Industry estimates there are more than 3,000 data centers nationwide, with major concentrations in states including Virginia, Texas, California, Ohio and Arizona.
Data centers in seven major U.S. states depend on an estimated 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater annually through the electricity used to power them, according to a new study by sustainability nonprofit Ceres .
Burchett suggested some data centers could be located on military installations instead of near residential communities and argued that public concerns have been fueled in part by a lack of information and education on the matter. Burchett said officials had done a "poor job educating the public" about data centers.
"We need more local control. We should have brought everybody to the table," Burchett said, while also pointing to measures such as recycled-water use that developers have reportedly adopted in some sites.
Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers has called for a one-year statewide moratorium on new data center construction. Rogers has argued that Michigan should pause new projects while policymakers evaluate their impact on local communities, energy infrastructure and utility costs, saying the projects should be halted “until we establish a fair, transparent approval process that puts local communities first.”
“While I don’t support a federal ban, Michigan needs stronger guardrails to protect community control, prevent utility price hikes, protect our water and stop pay-to-play schemes,” he added, The Hill reported.
Rogers is in a tight matchup against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed for the open Senate seat in Michigan.
Newsweek has reached out to Rogers' press team for comment via email on Tuesday.
In campaign messaging, Republican Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan has highlighted his willingness to challenge fellow Republicans on data center policy, stating in an August ad that “I stood up to my own party" on data centers.
The congressman has also pushed for legislative action aimed at strengthening local authority over data center projects, having introduced two bills in August that prohibit federal agencies from overpowering local decision-making processes about data centers.
"Specifically, the two bills would protect local control by prohibiting the federal government from overriding local zoning decisions and banning members of Congress from signing non-disclosure agreements related to data center…
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