Trump gives GOP breathing room on data centers

Trump toes line on data centers as GOP pushes back

Republicans’ growing skepticism of data centers is forcing President Trump to balance his steadfast support for the industry with pushback from his party ahead of the midterm elections.

© Alex Brandon and Gabriela Passos, Associated Press

While Trump has doubled down on his support of data centers , the president signaled last week he may give GOP candidates room to oppose the facilities as they become a political lightning rod in the midterms.

Trump told reporters last week he wants Republican candidates to “do what they want” on data centers, acknowledging “some people feel differently” on the issue. The president previously criticized Democrats for pushing back on plans to build these facilities.

“If Republicans are against a data center, that’s OK with me,” Trump said. “I’m only saying that if I ran a community … if I was a mayor or if I was a governor in the state, I would want to have the data centers because they bring tremendous income.”

Faced with mounting pressure around the risks of AI and data centers, several high-profile Republicans have abruptly shifted their stance with the midterms just months away.

Those now advocating for stricter restrictions on data centers include not only state leaders such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbot t (R) but also Trump-backed Senate candidates like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).

“I’d say [Trump’s] been fairly consistent in his messaging. What’s been more malleable is everybody else’s opinion,” one Republican strategist told The Hill.

Mark Weaver, an Ohio-based crisis communications adviser, said he thinks Trump is noticing voter concerns around data centers, “and that’s why I think his language has been somewhat muted compared to other things he talks about.”

Still, Weaver thinks Trump will “continue to present a balanced approach of supporting them to ensure that the technology race is not won by China.”

Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter , we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.

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