President Donald Trump has repeatedly backed AI data centers two months ahead of the November midterm elections, but a new poll shows that most Americans disagree with the infrastructure in their communities.
A NBC News Decision Desk survey found that 69% of poll respondents oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local area, including 45% who "strongly oppose" the concept. Data centers are one of the most controversial issues of the 2026 election cycle, garnering widespread backlash among voters in both political parties.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers at the local, state and federal level have proposed data center moratoriums that would suspend some construction of the structures.
In an Aug. 31 Truth Social post, Trump said Americans
should stop opposing new data centers unless they want to be "backwards and poor." Proponents of AI data centers, including Trump, warn that the United States must compete with China on AI.
"The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign," Trump said.
Trump again supported data centers in the Oval Office on Sept. 4.
"If you want to pay lower taxes, if you want to create tremendous wealth, if you want your house to be more valuable and everything else, you're going to want a data center," Trump told reporters. "If you want to go through poverty, crime and squalor, I would say don't approve data centers."
Still, critics argue data centers consume large amounts of water and energy, generate noise and electronic waste and provide relatively few long-term jobs or perks for homeowners.
AI data centers have rankled voters in both parties, according to the NBC News Decision Desk poll. Republicans are more supportive of data centers, but a majority – 57% to 43% – oppose them. The poll, conducted between Aug. 20 and Sept. 1, found that 81% of Democrats and 71% of independents do not want data centers constructed in their local areas.
Contributing: Joey Garrison and Greta Cross, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Trump backs data centers, new poll shows many Americans disapprove
