Trump’s AI Push Runs Into a Major Problem: Americans Don’t Want the Data Centers

America is in a race against China for AI dominance, and right now, the biggest obstacle might not be Beijing. It might be local zoning boards.

A Gallup survey found that seven in 10 Americans oppose building AI data centers in their local area, a number that exceeds even opposition to local nuclear power plant construction, which sits at 53 percent. Nuclear has been politically toxic for decades. Data center opposition has already blown past it

Seven in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed. Barely a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor.

But look at who is actually driving that number. Democrats strongly oppose data center construction at 56 percent, compared to just 39 percent of Republicans. Independents fall at 48 percent. This is not a broad national consensus against AI infrastructure. It is a populist backlash, and Democrats are leading it, but it is loudest in the places least likely to host these facilities. Opposition in the South runs at 63 percent. In the West, 68 percent. The Midwest and Northeast clock in at 75 percent and 76 percent, respectively. The communities where data centers actually get built are, on balance, more open to them.

The Trump administration is pushing to rapidly expand AI infrastructure as both an economic priority and a national security necessity in the competition with China.

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That case is strong. Gallup found that 55 percent of data center supporters cite job creation as their primary reason, with 13 percent pointing to increased tax revenue and others noting infrastructure investment and broader economic growth. Beyond the local economics, the national stakes are straightforward: China is investing aggressively in AI infrastructure, and every project blocked by a local referendum is a gift to Beijing. The disruptions these facilities cause are real. So is the cost of losing.

The opposition's concerns are also real, even if the politics behind them are predictable. Half of opponents cited excessive resource usage, with water and energy each mentioned by 18 percent. Others raised pollution, traffic, property values, and higher utility bills. Some specifically objected to taxpayer money being spent on construction.

Half of opponents mention data centers’ excessive use of resources, including 18% each mentioning their use of water and energy.

Maine became the first state to pass a bill outright barring large-scale data center construction. Wisconsin followed with a local referendum giving voters more say over tax-funded development tied to a proposed campus. These are not organic revolts from the political center. They are populist-driven efforts to use local government as a veto on national priorities.

On the energy side, projections show that data centers will consume more than 100 gigawatts of electricity by 2035, up from 34.7 gigawatts in 2024. Electricity prices are already up 6.1 percent over the past year, nearly double the overall inflation rate.

The Trump administration has responded by requiring Big Tech to cover its own power costs rather than passing them to consumers. It is the right call and directly addresses the utility bill concern, but it has not broken through.

The opposition, it turns out, runs deeper than the electricity bill. People don't want the land cleared. They don't want the noise, the water draw, or the feeling that a decision affecting their community was made over their heads.

None of that changes the underlying argument for building. The jobs are real. The tax revenue is real. The national security stakes are real. Winning the argument in Washington is the easy part. The harder sell is a town hall in rural Maine, and opposition this intense will produce lawsuits, ballot measures, and state-level roadblocks for years. For an administration trying to win the AI race, the competition is not only China — it is also the planning commission two towns over.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.

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