President Donald Trump pushed back on national opposition to data center construction Wednesday, saying that if he were a state or local politician, he would “absolutely” want them to be built in his community.
The president was joined by tech executives at the White House, where he fielded a question on the subject. Trump said the growth of artificial intelligence, which data centers help power, is “going to create a lot of jobs and tremendous innovation.”
“I can say if I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant, an AI plant or a data center, I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous,” he continued. “If you don’t take it, you’re going to be left behind because there are plenty of places that want it.”
Trump conceded that AI companies could “use a little public relations help,” before reiterating that he “would want that plant in my community.”
“Many of them are designed in a very beautiful way,” the president concluded. “It’s really very positive.”
Trump has spent the past 18-plus months fostering growth within the American AI industry, arguing that it is critical to national and economic security to be the global leader in the sector. Still, data centers have become a flashpoint midterm election issue given the increase in utility costs for Americans living in some areas where they have been built.
Republican candidates in recent days have come out more forcefully against the construction of data centers, as they are becoming increasingly unpopular with voters. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), the Republican nominee in the Wisconsin gubernatorial election, has leaned into anti-AI sentiment, debuting an ad on Monday calling his Democratic opponent “Data Center David Crowley.”
Also on Wednesday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee released a memo effectively pleading with AI companies to spend money to redefine public perception on the issue. The committee warned it could cost Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) his reelection.
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You can watch Trump’s comments in full below.