President Donald Trump said that data center companies should pay local communities a “dividend” to make their projects “popular.”
In a Truth Social post early Wednesday, Trump urged companies to “MAKE DEALS,” but did not provide details on how much money they should return to communities or individuals where data centers are being built.
“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 wrote in the post.
There’s been a growing backlash against data center construction across the US, with some saying the projects are noisy, raise electricity bills, and compromise the general quality of living.
Data Center Watch, a research project run by 10a Labs, found that in the first quarter of this year, at least 75 data center projects were delayed or canceled due to local opposition. Some market experts have said that investors should be wary of the public backlash.
In his Wednesday post, Trump also referenced one of his previous efforts: having tech companies cover their power costs when they build data centers to help keep local electricity prices flat.
Several tech leaders agreed to do so in March, when they signed the “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” which mandates that companies provide or pay for the power generation and electricity needed for their AI projects, among other commitments.
Trump closed his Wednesday post by saying that building data centers under his newest stipulations would be “GREAT FOR THE U.S.A.”
