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Trump, 80, Unravels in Bizarre Typo-Riddled 1:37 A.M. Rant

The president urged data center companies to pay communities a “dividend” as he panics before the midterms.

President Donald Trump launched into a damage-control rant about data centers at 1:37 a.m.

The 80-year-old landed at the White House on Marine One at 11 p.m. on Tuesday after a rally in North Carolina. Almost three hours later, his latest Truth Social meltdown went live.

This time the subject was data centers, the vast energy-hungry facilities that house the computer systems, servers, and network equipment used by artificial intelligence giants and other Big Tech companies.

In his error-strewn post, Trump said he has “been watching Data Centers very closely,” and has “come to a very strong conclusion.”

“New and large, in some cases gigantic, Data enters are mandated by me to make their own electricity, and give or sell any excess back to the local community, or grid, and therefore there is electric price increase,” he went on, misspelling ‘data centers,’ and seemingly leaving out ‘no’ in front of “price increase.”

In a bid to curry favor before the midterm elections in two weeks, he floated a financial incentive to benefit residents near the deeply unpopular facilities.

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He continued: “In fact, there could be a substantial decrease. Other elements likewise! If companies want to make their Data Centers popular, pay the community, and/or individuals within the community, a ‘dividend.’ I have watched the process closely, and Data Centers that were highly unpopular in a certain area, have become extremely popular when a financial deal is struck. MAKE DEALS, and get them built!!! GREAT FOR THE U.S.A.”

Data centers have been a highly contentious issue during Trump 2.0, as large companies seek to build them across the country while the president bats away communities’ concerns.

A new Associated Press-NORC poll said about six in 10 Americans favor putting limits on new data center developments, a sentiment held by majorities in both major political parties.

The main concerns center on surging electricity demand and depleted water supplies, particularly as tech developers set their sights on small towns.

Although 87 percent of active U.S. data centers are in urban areas, Pew Research Center data shows most newly planned facilities are bound for rural communities.

The energy footprint is massive. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that data centers could devour up to 11.8 percent of all U.S. electricity by 2030.

In 2026 alone, local resistance has stalled at least 47 mega-projects, with more than 1,000 communities proposing moratoria, zoning caps, or strict environmental rules on incoming AI infrastructure, according to Investing Live.

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Trump stated in February that big tech firms should be required to construct their own dedicated power plants for their facilities.

At the same time, major AI players are attempting to soften their public image. Anthropic pledged 5 percent of its shares to a new “public good” fund, while Elon Musk promised on Monday to give a share of SpaceX to “every kid in America” to offset mounting skepticism.

Trump doubled down on his backing of the sector on Monday, framing data centers as an economic lifeline and a national security imperative ahead of the midterm elections.

“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,” Trump posted on social media, warning that stalling development plays right into Beijing’s hands. “If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement.”

Trump’s pro-industry stance puts him at odds with some within his own party. After the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, temporarily paused new data center projects to review regulatory compliance, Trump publicly criticized the move during an interview with Punchbowl, calling it a “mistake” and claiming data centers are “tremendously important for the economics” and could ultimately become “bigger than oil.”

For local residents living near proposed sites, however, national economic ambition feels disconnected from local reality. “I think that decisions are being made for the company, not for the community that they’re being built in,” said Nancy Antunes, a 60-year-old Massachusetts resident.

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