Trump warns US data center protests aid China's AI push

president trump rejected the growing backlash against ai data centers in the us, stating that communities turning down data centers would become 'backwards and poor.' he claimed china 'could not be happier with this anti data center movement' as it would give beijing an advantage in the ai race. a march gallup poll found 71% of americans oppose having data centers built near their homes due to concerns over rising electricity costs, noise, and heavy water usage. grassroots campaigns have blocked or delayed at least 75 projects worth roughly $130 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone. china plans to nearly double its data center capacity over the next five years, and there are claims that china may be actively trying to fuel domestic opposition. the white house is not fully aligned on the issue, with vice president vance saying data centers are key to the ai economy but operators should build their own power plants.