Republican President Donald Trump is fiercely defending fossil-fueled artificial-intelligence data centers against a national backlash, and many Republican politicians are falling in line. Their line of argument is that local concerns about the pollution and costs are mistaken and stupid.
Donald Trump:
“We’re leading China in AI by a lot… I’m letting them build their own power plants… Communities that don’t take a data center, they’re making a mistake, because there are plenty of communities that want them… The smart ones are saying, ‘I want them so badly.’” [WABC, 8/25/2026 starting at 32:40]
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.):
“There’s some communities like mine in Louisiana that welcome them with open arms. We have many of them under construction and my district and my constituents are delighted to have them.” [CBS Colorado, 8/14/2026]
Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.):
“There are tremendous benefits for communities who embrace data centers … They’re good customers, they’re good neighbors and studies prove that they don’t add to the cost of the grid. They’re paying their own way.” [Politico, 8/26/2026]
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.):
“People are scared of things that they don’t even realize aren’t reality. They’re not loud, they’re not hot, they’re not consuming … it’s gonna be really good for the economy.” [Fox News, 8/26/2026]