Trump Urges AI Data Centers to Pay 'Dividends' to Communities Ahead of Midterms

United States President Donald Trump has stated that AI data centers should provide "dividends" to the communities they are located in, a notable shift in his stance as the midterm elections approach. "If companies want to make their Data Centers popular, pay the community, and/or individuals within the community, a ‘dividend'", Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday. These remarks follow his reinforced support for data centers, a position that has been identified as a potential political vulnerability for Republicans in the lead-up to the midterm elections, coinciding with Trump's approval ratings reaching historic lows. Polls indicate a significant lack of support for such centers, driven by concerns over their substantial water and energy consumption. In his Truth Social post, Trump suggested that companies could enhance the popularity of their centers by "pay[ing] the community, and/or individuals within the community, a ‘dividend’". He elaborated, "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". He concluded with an encouragement to "MAKE DEALS, and get them built!!!"

Several prominent Republican candidates have voiced opposition to data centers prior to the midterm elections, making it an area of uncommon bipartisan agreement before the November 3 vote. Republican Senate candidates, including Ken Paxton in Texas, Mike Rogers in Michigan, and John Husted in Ohio, have advocated for increased restrictions and oversight on these centers, marking a departure from their previous stances. The issue was a focal point in a recent debate in Iowa, where Republican Senate Candidate Ashley Hinson asserted that local authorities should determine the construction of AI data centers. Notwithstanding this shift in sentiment, Trump issued a strong defense of data centers in late August, condemning what he termed the "anti-Data Center movement" as a benefit to China. "The only reason that communities throughout the USA should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor", Trump wrote at the time. "If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign." Trump has implemented several measures to expedite data center development, including an executive order last year mandating actions to fast-track permitting and environmental reviews. This order pledged the use of federal land for the "expeditious and orderly development of data centers". Trump has also endorsed a voluntary commitment by AI companies to cover the full electricity costs of data centers, while refraining from supporting legally binding federal regulations. A Gallup poll from March indicated that 71 percent of Americans opposed the establishment of AI data centers in their vicinities. A similar level of disapproval was identified in an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday, with 72 percent of respondents opposing the construction of new data centers in their communities.