ToplinePresident Donald Trump continues to advocate for data centers—accusing communities who oppose them of making a “mistake” and relaxing regulations to build them—contradicting other Republicans reversing course on the AI powerhouses that have become the new third rail in the 2026 midterms. (L-R) Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Idaho Gov. Brad Little applaud following remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump (C) on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge during a roundtable at the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters on July 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. The pledge is intended to shield taxpayers from the costs associated with electricity demands from the AI boom. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsAs public support for data centers has plummeted in recent months among voters across the political spectrum, they’ve increasingly become an attack line against lawmakers who have backed them, prompting members of both parties to water down any previous support.Trump, however, is doubling down on data centers, saying in a radio interview on Aug. 23, “communities that don’t take a data center, they’re making a mistake” and losing out on “tremendous amounts of jobs and money,” while claiming AI companies that build their own plants to power data centers aren’t “taking the power from the grid.”While hosting tech and crypto executives at the White House on Aug. 19, Trump said that if he were a local government official, he would “absolutely want” a data center in his jurisdiction, because “the jobs are enormous, and the money paid, the taxes paid are just enormous,” adding, “if you don’t take it, you’re going to be left behind because there are plenty of places that want it.” Trump acknowledged at the White House event, the industry needs “a little public relations help,” alluding to concerns from people who live near them about potential environmental impacts, higher electricity bills and the sheer size of the facilities.In an interview with Punchbowl News aired Aug. 7, Trump took a hit at his Republican ally, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, for announcing new data center regulations, telling the outlet, “for Texas to say no to data centers is a mistake, in the sense that it could be bigger than oil,” adding, “if we turn off on data centers and we turn off on AI, we aren’t leading” globally.On Friday, Trump said he doesn’t expect Republicans to follow suit with his continued support for data centers, telling reporters, “I really want them—if a Republican's against the data center, that's okay with me.”TangentTrump’s support for data centers comes as he’s strengthened his ties with the tech industry, simultaneously from a personal business standpoint and in his role as president, during his second term after having a previously adversarial relationship with Silicon Valley earlier in his political career. Companies including Nvidia, Adobe, Oracle, Dell, Microsoft and Amazon were among Trump’s largest stock purchases in the first quarter of this year, valued between $1 million and $5 million. He bought between $1 million and $5 million of Dell shares on February 10, and the company’s stock, boosted by the data center boom, subsequently climbed more than 140% over the six weeks, Forbes reported previously. The Trump Organization has repeatedly said Trump’s stock holdings are independently managed by third-party financial institutions and that neither Trump nor his family play any role or have any advance notice of trading activity.How has Trump tried to ease regulations on data centers?The Trump administration announced plans in July to eliminate an Environmental Protection Agency requirement for public input on some projects seeking air pollution permits, including data centers, which critics argue is sometimes the only way the public is notified before a project begins. Last year, before the data center opposition campaign took off, Trump signed an executive order titled “Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure" that implemented numerous policies to ease the permitting process. Trump has maintained that data centers, not taxpayers, should bear the additional electricity costs associated with their projects. He asked tech companies in March to sign a pledge “agreeing to build, bring, or buy new generation resources and cover the cost of all power delivery infrastructure upgrades required for their data centers, ensuring such expenses are not passed to American households.”Crucial Quote “More than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck,” the National Republican Senatorial Committee wrote in a recent memo to AI companies, according to multiple outlets. The NRSC was referring to Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, named the “face of data centers in Ohio” by his opponent, former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, over his support for data centers while serving as lieutenant governor. Data centers, the NRSC said, have “become a sleeper issue for the entire election cycle.”Big Number41%. That’s the share of adult Americans who oppose data centers being built within three miles of where they live, compared to 24% who support them, according to a Politico poll taken in July. The numbers were reversed in Politico’s January poll, with 28% opposing and 37% supporting. Support among Kamala Harris voters has dropped 13 points, to 22%, and support among Trump voters is down 11 points, to 34%.Key BackgroundData centers have become a hot button issue in the midterm elections, with more than 100 campaign ads mentioning them this cycle, all in a negative light, according to a Politico review of AdImpact data. A recent study by the Washington Post found both Republicans and Democrats’ online posts about data centers have taken a dramatic turn from mostly positive to mostly negative over the last year, with Republicans’ shift coming several months after Democrats’. Husted and Abbott are among multiple lawmakers who have backed off previous support for data centers. In July, as Husted’s re-election campaign geared up, he introduced legislation aimed at requiring data centers to pay added electricity costs associated with their construction and operation. Some Democrats have also reversed course. Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his Republican opponent, state treasurer Stacy Garrity, have both accused each other of supporting data centers, and Shapiro recently announced new regulations on projects. further readingHere Are Donald Trump’s 10 Best Stock Trades Of 2026 (Forbes)Trump Defends AI Data Centers—Says Opposing Them Is A ‘Mistake’ And ‘Smart Ones’ Want Them (Forbes)Trump Made Big Stock Trades In SpaceX, Palantir And Tech Companies In June (Forbes)