President Donald Trump said on September 3 that AI data centers should pay a "dividend" to communities, marking a shift in his stance ahead of the midterm elections.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote: "If companies want their data centers to be liked, they should pay a 'dividend' to the community and/or the individuals in the community."
He said many data centers that once faced strong opposition in some areas became accepted once financial agreements were reached. "MAKE A DEAL and build them," he wrote.
The remarks came just days after Trump again defended data centers, a position seen as one of the Republican Party's main political liabilities ahead of the midterms, as his approval rating has fallen to a record low.
Polls show low support for this type of infrastructure over concerns about the water and energy consumption of large-scale complexes.
Meanwhile, many leading Republican candidates have come out against data centers ahead of the elections. The issue is emerging as one of the few points of 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 all called for tighter restrictions and oversight of data centers, reversing earlier positions.
The issue also featured prominently in a recent debate in Iowa, where Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson argued that local authorities should decide on the construction of AI data centers.
Despite the shift in public opinion, Trump spoke out strongly in defense of data centers in late August, calling what he described as the "anti-data center movement" a gift to China.
"The only reason communities across America wouldn't want data centers is if they want to be落后 and poor," he wrote at the time, arguing that data centers bring lower taxes and jobs.
The president has taken several steps to speed up data center development, including an executive order last year requiring shorter permitting and environmental review procedures, and a pledge to use federal land for such projects.
Trump has also backed voluntary commitments by AI companies to cover the full cost of the electricity their data centers use, but has avoided endorsing binding federal regulations.
A Gallup poll in March found that 71% of Americans opposed the construction of AI data centers in their area. An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released on September 3 recorded a similar figure, with 72% of respondents opposed to building new data centers in their communities.
