Trump Claims Opposing Data Centers Will Make Communities Poor. The Data Doesn’t Back That Up.

August 31, 2026 3:35 PM ET President Donald Trump claimed communities rejecting data centers will become poor and regress backwards.Communities that reject data centers risk becoming “backwards and poor,” while those that welcome them will see job creation and far lower taxes, the president said in a Truth Social post Monday. The president’s statement comes as such artificial intelligence centers remain a key issue ahead of the November midterms, one that has drawn broad opposition from many voters. “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 on Truth Social. “The good news is that