Donald Trump is facing increasing pushback from some of his most loyal MAGA supporters over his support for sprawling AI data centers.
The 80-year-old president has frequently praised the construction of the huge, energy-intensive data centers amid the AI boom, even though most Americans despise them.
“The people that say AI is going to destroy the World, and that Data Centers are bad for your neighborhood, are the same people that said, just a short time ago, that the World would be extinguished by ‘Climate Change,’” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday. “That HOAX never worked out for them, and now they’re on to the next one.”
However, that sentiment is not shared by other users on Truth Social, a social media platform that is essentially an echo chamber consisting of Trump and his loyal MAGA base.
Analysis from The New York Times found that among the hundreds of replies to Trump’s praise of data centers, disparaging posts outnumbered positive ones by nearly 4-to-1.
Many comments criticized Trump for continuing to support the construction of AI data centers despite voter concerns about their locations, water usage, and how they could raise energy costs.
“Not all together true Mr. President. Data centers are destroying quiet neighborhoods. They should have been placed in the middle of nowhere instead of people having to relocate due to lights, noise and the disappearing water,” wrote one Truth Social user who declares their support for Trump in their bio.
“If they were so great and beautiful, why are they not placed near beautiful golf courses or next to Mar-a-Lago, sir? Because it would bring down your property value.”
Another added: “Keep telling rural communities that there are no downsides to data centers and watch how many of your 2024 voters stay home during the midterms.”
There was further scorn when Trump shared another glowing post about data centers while disparaging those who oppose them.
“The only reason the AI/Data Center outburst is happening is because the United States is leading, by a lot, every other country,” Trump wrote. “Don’t kill the Golden Goose!”
In reply, one of Trump’s followers wrote: “You’re ignoring the concerns of those experiencing the issues and trying to gaslight them. You clearly don’t have one of these humming monsters near you, nor is it using up your water.”
Another added: “Hey! You want them, why not put one next to one of your properties or golf courses? No one wants to live near those huge ugly loud things!”
Trump previously caused backlash from this within his own party after declaring on Truth Social that the only people against data centers are “backward and poor.”
Opposition to data centers is one of the few issues that appears to unite the country.
On Tuesday, a New York Times/Siena poll found that 61 percent of likely voters oppose building data centers, including nearly half (45 percent) of Trump’s 2024 voters.
Trump’s continued push for data centers could be another factor that hinders the GOP in the midterm elections.
“It really doesn’t play well to his base because a lot of those folks are probably worried about A.I. taking their jobs,” Raymond La Raja, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told the Times.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
