Most Americans Oppose Data Centers. Trump Says That Makes Them 'Backwards and Poor.'

71% of Americans oppose building a data center in their own community, according to Pew Research, as reported by Gizmodo — a higher share than those who object to a local nuclear plant. In a Monday Truth Social post, President Trump told that majority the only reason to fight data centers is if they want to end up "backwards and poor."

The post, corroborated by the Washington Examiner, The Hill, and others, also claimed data centers make communities rich through lower taxes and jobs, warned that China would benefit if the United States blocked construction, and framed opposition as "killing the Golden Goose." Trump signed the post in his own name rather than through the channel normally used by his assistant Natalie Harp.

Bloomberg Law documents data-center foes increasingly suing local officials over approval processes; Clutch Justice catalogues projects overriding land-use rules. In Utah, Alliance for a Better Utah and Elevate Strategies have sued Kevin O'Leary for defamation after he publicly claimed, without evidence, that China is behind U.S. data-center protests; O'Leary later conceded he had no proof. On the post itself, self-identified Trump supporters pushed back over energy bills and AI's broader effects.

What remains unclear: whether the White House will follow the rhetoric with federal action on local siting fights.